Another Australian state government is taking steps to ban the display of Nazi iconography.
Western Australia is introducing legislation that would outlaw the unauthorised display of symbols like the swastika – including in the form of tattoos.
Nazi symbols continue to be used in vile acts of anti-Semitism across Australia, but groups committing these acts have also adopted the symbols in attacks on the Muslim and LGBTQI+ communities.
Victoria and NSW have already passed similar laws, and Queensland and Tasmania have indicated they plan to follow suit.
Nazi symbology has already been banned in nations such as France, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Brazil and most notably in Germany, where the swastika – or Hakenkreuz – was appropriated for evil by the Nazi Party in their rise to power between the two world wars.
Once passed, the laws would prohibit the display and possession of Nazi symbols, such as on a flag, item of clothing or as a tattoo, and include fines and even prison time for those flouting the rules.
“The McGowan government will not tolerate hate groups which seek to spread fear, division, and violence in our multicultural society,” WA Attorney-General John Quigley said.
“We will continue to work with stakeholder groups to ensure we strike the right balance between banning offensive behaviour and preserving legitimate uses of the swastika.”
Read the article by Anthony Anderson in Perth Now.