CANBERRA: An Australian state has become the first in the country to approve legislation prohibiting the public exhibition of Nazi swastikas, as concerns mount over the rate at which local youth are radicalized.
Late Tuesday, the Parliament of Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, enacted regulations imposing fines of $22,000 Australian dollars ($15,213) and a year in prison for wearing the Nazi swastika, or Hakenkreuz.
Dvir Abramovich, chair of Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission, said on Wednesday that he expects the country’s most populous state, New South Wales, as well as the states of Queensland and Tasmania, to approve similar legislation soon.
“The fact that we have a resurgent white supremacist and neo-Nazi movement is cause for concern in every state,” said Abramovich, who resides in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria.
“What the bill does is tell those forces of evil that are attempting to crush our spirit and instill fear that the law is no longer on their side,” he continued.
Five years ago, Abramovich launched a national campaign to ban the Nazi insignia.
Following a public information effort, the law becomes official in two weeks and the prohibition takes effect six months later.
The presentation of swastikas is not prohibited by law in some religious and cultural situations. According to a Victoria government statement, the swastika was an old and revered emblem for Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and other faith organizations.
Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes expressed pride that the legislation had been enacted with the cooperation of opposition politicians.
“I’m delighted to see that, regardless of political party, we can all agree that this despicable behavior will not be permitted in Victoria,” Symes added.
In his annual threat assessment in February, Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the country’s largest domestic spy agency, expressed alarm about the rate at which young individuals were radicalized.
According to Burgess, children as young as 13 were adopting radicalism, both religiously and philosophically driven.
Minors made up less than 3% of ASIO’s fresh counter-terrorism investigations three years ago. Last year, they accounted for 15% of such inquiries and the majority of ASIO’s highest-priority investigations, according to Burgess.
According to Burgess, children as young as 13 were adopting radicalism, both religiously and philosophically driven.
Minors made up less than 3% of ASIO’s fresh counter-terrorism investigations three years ago. Last year, they accounted for 15% of such inquiries and the majority of ASIO’s highest-priority investigations, according to Burgess.
