Pod Save America Hosts Call on Democrats to Cut All Israel Military Aid, No Longer Accept AIPAC Funding
Jews, Israelis Targeted in Austria Amid Surge in Antisemitic Incidents; Local Jewish Community Calls for Action
‘All of Our Strength’: Over 1,000 Pro-Israel Activists Gather in DC for Solidarity Conference
‘Devastated’: Wesley LePatner, Killed in Manhattan Mass Shooting, Was a Jewish Communal, Philanthropic Leader
Sen. Angus King Vows to No Longer Vote for Israel Military Aid Until Gaza Conditions Improve
Europe Won’t Pressure Israel to ‘Commit Suicide’ Amid Gaza Backlash, Palestinian State Push, Says Israeli FM
Israel’s National Soccer Coach Attacked in Athens Before Soccer Fans Chant ‘F–K Israel, Free Palestine’ at Match
New York Judge Sentences Neo-Nazi to 5 Years for Livestreaming Bomb Threats Against Jewish Hospitals
US Pressures Lebanon to Issue Cabinet Decision to Disarm Hezbollah Before Talks Continue
UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Meets Conditions, Starmer Says
Australian State of Victoria Set to Ban Nazi Symbols
Error: Contact form not found.
by Benjamin Kerstein
A swastika flag flying in the backyard of a house in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Photo: YouTube screenshot
The Australian state of Victoria will soon place a legal ban on Nazi symbols, the first such measure in the country.
According to Australia’s SBS News, legislation on the ban will be tabled next year and follows the recommendations of a parliamentary committee issued earlier this year.
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA)’s president, Dr. David Adler, welcomed the legislation, saying, “We support the banning of those symbols and what it represents. This was an ideology that attempted the mass murder of an entire people on an industrial scale.”
He pointed out that antisemitism has been sharply rising during the coronavirus pandemic: “We saw images being circulated on social media with Jews being blamed for spreading disease or characterized as vermin or various other ugly tropes.”
“It (the Holocaust and references to the ideology of the time) does affect us personally. It is one of the darkest stains on human history. And we take very seriously the ‘never again’ lesson and we have to do everything we can to stamp out this type of bigotry,” he said, urging stricter measures against antisemitism.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence said that Nazi symbols “glorify one of the most hateful ideologies in human history. We must confront hate, prevent it, and give it no space to grow.”
In a statement, the ban was also praised by groups including the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS), Anti-Defamation Commission, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, Asian Australian Alliance, Equality Australia, Human Rights Law Centre, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, and the Victorian Pride Lobby.
“When someone is attacked, abused or demeaned simply because of who they are, they should not be left to stand alone,” said the statement. “Our laws must ensure people who use hate to harm others are held to account for the harm they cause to people in our community.”
