Longreach man, 34, charged over allegedly displaying Nazi flag at home

A Qld man charged after allegedly displaying a Nazi flag has been referred for assessment under the state’s Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group.

The man will appear at Longreach Courthouse on March 11.

A Longreach man charged under hate crime laws after allegedly displaying a Nazi flag in the window of his home has been referred for assessment under the state’s Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group.

Detectives went to the man’s house in Falcon St on Monday and seized the flag, after a tip-off from the public.

The 34-year-old has been charged with displaying a prohibited symbol and has been issued a notice to appear before Longreach Magistrates Court on March 11. No terrorism-related charges have been laid.

Longreach officer-in-charge Detective Sergeant Jonathon Lacey said investigators believed it was an isolated incident.

“He is known to police,” Sgt Lacey said.

A 34-year-old man has been charged after allegedly displaying a Nazi flag.

“Any investigation of this nature undergo assessments in terms of any potential threats.

“At this point in time we do believe it is an isolated incident, there is no risk to the public.

“People who do come to police attention for this kind of (alleged) behaviour, they do undergo assessment through our Counter-Terrorism Investigation Group.”

The Australian man has claimed to not have any ideologies.

“He is not part of an establish network as far as we can tell,” Sgt Lacey said.

“We do believe he is acting as an individual, we haven’t identified any ties from any known far-right organisations.

“It’s not unheard of in rural areas as well, it doesn’t matter where it happens it’s going to be a top priority for our investigators.

“Longreach is a town of 3000, it is a small population and a small community. We do have reports from members of the community who don’t want these behaviours happening in our town.”

Meanwhile a second man has been charged in an unrelated incident after allegedly publicly displaying a Nazi flag from a property north of Brisbane.

A 44-year-old Cashmere man has been charged by detectives following an investigation into the alleged public display of a flag featuring a prohibited symbol.

The charge comes after a member of the public contacted police after noticing the flag at a Cashmere property.

Following up on the public report, police executed a search warrant at the Cashmere address on Wednesday, February 5, where the flag was found and seized.

The man, who was not home at the time, later presented himself to detectives at the Queensland Police Service headquarters on Thursday, February 6.

A Cashmere man has been charged over the alleged public display of a flag featuring a prohibited symbol. Photo: Queensland Police Service

He has since been charged with one count of publicly displaying a prohibited symbol and issued a notice to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday, February 21.

It comes amid a major national investigation into the Dural caravan terror plot in NSW and investigations into antisemitism.

According to Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, officers were on high alert for anti-semitism and hate crimes across the state.

Originally published as Longreach man, 34, charged over allegedly displaying Nazi flag at home