Labor backflips to criminalise Nazi salute

The Albanese government will outlaw the Nazi salute, backflipping on its previous refusal to ban the gesture as Labor moves to repair relations with the nation’s Jewish community.

Anti-immigration protesters in Melbourne, including far-right activist Thomas Sewell, giving the nazi salute during a protest in May this year.

The Albanese government will outlaw the Nazi salute, doing an about-face on its previous refusal to ban the gesture, as Labor moves to repair relations with the ­nation’s Jewish community.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus revealed that the government would amend its own legislation banning the display of Nazi symbols to also criminalise the salute.

Mr Dreyfus had previously argued that banning the gesture was “something better dealt with by state and territory laws” but on Tuesday he said the government had decided to add the gesture to its Prohibited Hate Symbols Bill to “send a clear message” to those who glorified the Holocaust.

“There is absolutely no place in Australia for hatred, violence and anti-Semitism,” he said.

“Amendments to be introduced tomorrow will strengthen our legislation by making the Nazi salute a criminal offence under commonwealth law. The amendments will ensure that no one will be allowed to glorify or profit from acts and symbols which celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology.”

The move came as five Jewish Australians with loved ones murdered or kidnapped by Hamas met with Anthony Albanese and senior members of the government in Canberra.

They also held a vigil outside parliament with 240 cardboard cut-outs representing the hostages taken by Hamas.

The Prime Minister said there should be “no place in the world in 2023” for what happened to Israel on October 7.

“I just express on behalf of the government and on behalf of the Australian people our sincere sympathy and condolences for your loss of loved ones, friends and family,” he told the delegation.

“And our commitment to continue to call consistently, unequivocally, for the release of all hostages that have now been taken for a long period of time.”

Labor’s relations with the Jewish community have been strained amid claims by some members of the government, including cabinet ministers, that Israel is collectively punishing Palestinians for the crimes of Hamas.

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council’s Colin Rubenstein said strengthening of the hate symbols legislation was welcome at a time of rising anti-Semitism. “The Nazi salute is used to frighten and intimidate its targets,” Dr Rubenstein said.

“These laws will send a clear message to the Australian community that we as a nation will not tolerate those who seek to divide us by promoting an ideology characterised by racism, industrialised genocide and mass murder.”

Coalition members of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security had previously been unsuccessful in having the Labor bill amended to include a ban on the Nazi gesture.

The committee’s deputy chair, Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, said he was “glad to hear Labor have done a backflip and have finally committed to amending legislation to prohibit the Nazi salute”.