Neo-Nazis trigger moves to ban salute in Victoria

Australia is marching toward a ban on the Nazi salute after far-right extremists crashed an anti-transgender rally in Melbourne, unwittingly triggering tumult in the Victorian Liberal Party.

Neo-Nazis in front of the Victorian Parliament on Saturday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Australia is marching toward a ban on the Nazi salute after far-right extremists crashed an anti-transgender rally in Melbourne, unwittingly triggering tumult in the Victorian Liberal Party.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Monday that he was open to banning the Nazi salute, just hours after the Victorian government said it would outlaw the gesture after neo-Nazis protested in front of the state’s parliament at the weekend.

“Yes, open to it obviously,” Mr Perrottet said, referring to legislation introduced by his government banning Nazi symbols.

“We banned symbols in NSW and led the way on that reform and ultimately there’s no place for that in society.”

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said his government would also consider banning the Nazi salute in public, and Western Australia is also examining the option.

“Nazi salutes and the message they send have no place in ­society, and the images coming out of Victoria in recent days are both abhorrent and shocking,” Mr Rockliff said.

“While our legislation is intended to target the display of ­offensive symbols, further work will be proactively undertaken to examine whether it can be ­extended to banning Nazi salutes.”

A West Australian government spokesman said it had committed to banning the public display and possession of Nazi symbols in certain circumstances.

“The WA government will carefully consider whether the Nazi salute should be included as part of these reforms,” he said.

About 30 men dressed in black used the Nazi salute on the steps of parliament while Victorian upper house Liberal MP Moira Deeming – effectively the party’s representative in Melbourne’s entire western suburbs – was with a group of anti-transgender activists.

Ms Deeming spent much of Saturday with British anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who addressed a group of supporters before the 90-minute rally was overtaken by the neo-Nazis.

Both Ms Deeming and Ms Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, said they had no idea the neo-Nazi protest had been planned but it triggered deep soul-searching in the Liberal Party over Ms Deeming’s failure to immediately condemn the far-right ­activist and her “single-issue” focus on transgender issues.

Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto has savaged Ms Deeming’s decision to play a key role in organising and partaking in Ms Keen-Minshull’s Melbourne rally. She was shown on YouTube helping the British activist through the Parliament House car park.

The fascists, many wearing masks, performed the Nazi salute repeatedly while facing off with political opponents across Spring St. Victoria has already banned the Nazi swastika and will now ban the salute amid an apparent rise in far-right extremism, caused in part by growing ignorance about the World War II Holocaust, where millions of Jews died.

Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said it was time to act to stamp out the behaviour.

“Victorians have zero tolerance of this behaviour and so do we,” Ms Symes said. “That’s why we’ll expand our nation-leading legislation banning the Nazi Hakenkreuz to ­include the Nazi salute – because everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome and included in Vic­toria.

Liberal MPs have privately ­expressed dismay that Ms Deeming helped organise the anti-trans rally and failed to immediately ­attack the neo-Nazis when they appeared at parliament.

There is no evidence to suggest the neo-Nazis were invited to parliament by Ms Deeming or Ms Keen-Minshull, although the fascists have used transgender issues to motivate would-be supporters.

The Liberal Party must now spend several days waiting for the partyroom meeting to decide whether to expel Ms Deeming.

If it doesn’t it would be a significant setback for Mr Pesutto, who was highly critical of the upper house MP’s behaviour.