‘Heil Hitler’: Man of German heritage proves racial discrimination in Hobart lift

A man of German heritage has proven he was racially discriminated against following a fiasco in the Hobart Woolworths elevator. FULL STORY >>

A HOBART food volunteer of German heritage has proven he was racially discriminated against in an elevator when a man gave him a Nazi salute and said “Heil Hitler”.

Tim Seidenspinner asked for the man to compensate him to the tune of $6000 plus donate $3000 to the Seventh Day Adventist charity “Danny’s Bus” following the Wellington Centre fiasco in February 2021.

He also asked for the saluter, Anthony Jacobs, to give him a written apology and an undertaking not to repeat the behaviour for 12 months, plus orders for him to attend a “sensitivity course”.

In her newly-published decision, Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal deputy president Alison Clues instead ordered Mr Jacobs pay Mr Seidenspinner $500 for the “distress and humiliation” he suffered.

She said Dr Seidenspinner, who was volunteering for Helping Hands Hobart, had collected two full trolleys of donated groceries from Woolworths – on the basement level of the shopping centre – on the day in question.

A Woolworth supermarket in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

The food was to be delivered to the Uniting Church in Melville Street, which would redistribute it to needy families and individuals.

Ms Clues said due to Covid restrictions, only two people were permitted in the lift at a time – with signs outside the lift door stipulating that to be the case.

Dr Seidenspinner and another volunteer entered the lift at the basement level with the two trolleys, with the intention of returning to their car on the second or third level.

The lift stopped at the ground level, where there were several people waiting to get in.

Mr Jacobs and a pregnant woman stepped forward to enter the lift, but Dr Seidenspinner said they could not due to Covid restrictions.

Mr Jacobs said the pregnant woman “must enter the lift”, putting his arms in the lift doors to stop the elevator from departing.

“He called the complainant a Nazi. The respondent denied calling the complainant a Nazi,” Ms Clues said.

The Argyle Street carpark was flowing much better on Tuesday evening than it was on Monday. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“The complainant asked the respondent to remove his arm. The respondent then lifted his arm, making a Nazi salute and said ‘Heil Hitler’. The lift then departed.”

In the car park, Mr Jacobs made “rude hand gestures” at the two volunteers, telling them to “get f … ed” several times.

Mr Jacobs believed the pregnant woman was “being bullied” and that he was being “a supportive bystander”.

But Dr Seidenspinner was “deeply affected” by the conduct, which he found “offensive, intimidating, insulting and ridiculing”.

“The actions of the respondent were because of the complainant’s German race,” Ms Clues found.

“The respondent was concerned about (the woman) having to wait for a long period to access the lift due to her pregnancy. However, neither frustration nor anger gave the respondent the right to call the complainant a Nazi and say ‘Heil Hitler’ whilst directing a Nazi salute at him.”

She found Mr Jacobs’ behaviour constituted “prohibited conduct” under the Anti-Discrimination Act, but did not go so far as to constitute “incitement to hatred”.

Follow @ambervwilson