Comedian Tom Ballard appears to use Nazi salute as part of skit at Melbourne comedy club

Comedian Tom Ballard is facing backlash after allegedly performing the Nazi salute as part of a joke during a Melbourne comedy show.

Australian comedian Tom Ballard has come under fire after allegedly performing the Nazi salute multiple times during a recent comedy show in Melbourne.

The comedian was taking part in a show at the Basement Comedy Club on Saturday night when he allegedly started using the illegal salute in a skit, which prompted some Jewish members in the crowd to start filming.

Ballard started a bit on how “you aren’t allowed to do anything in Australia”, which prompted the first of many salutes according to the audience members.

The 22 seconds of footage, which was sent to the Herald Sun, appears to show Ballard perform the salute at least three times.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said using the holocaust as a source of humour is a “revolting display” of both “arrogance and ignorance”.

Tom Ballard has come under fire over a gesture in his Melbourne comedy show. Picture: Supplied

“Tom Ballard’s performance wasn’t comedy, it was cruelty disguised as humour,” he said.

“This wasn’t just a bad joke; it was a slap in the face to the victims, the Diggers who sacrificed their lives to defeat Hitler and to those who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust.

“The Nazi salute is not edgy or funny, it’s a weapon of hate, emboldening neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

“To use it for shock value is to desecrate the memory of six million Jews and millions of others murdered at the hands of the Third Reich and its collaborators.”

Dr Abramovich also called for the Basement Comedy Club to apologise for their “dismissive response” after Jewish members of the crowd raised their concerns.

“Instead of compassion, they offered ridicule,” he said. “The Basement Comedy Club should apologise, condemn Ballard’s actions and ensure their stage is never again used to peddle such hateful mockery.

“This isn’t about censoring humour. It’s about understanding that some tragedies are too sacred to exploit and some wounds too deep to reopen.”

Tom Ballard’s management and the Basement Comedy Club have both been contacted for comment.

It comes as Elon Musk ostensibly made a Nazi salute at President Donald Trump’s inauguration.