Authorities say hatred imported from interstate 'won't be tolerated' after man charged over nazi symbol
A state is cracking down on “imported hatred” and will continue to use new anti-extremism laws, after a protest on Australia Day led to a man being charged with using a nazi symbol.
He was part of a group of 15 men and one youth carrying Australian flags and dressed in black who were arrested following a protest in front of a war memorial and a march through Adelaide’s CBD.
The alleged members of the National Socialist Network, almost all of whom travelled from interstate, will appear in court on Tuesday.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.SA has some of the strongest anti-extremism laws in the country and does not have any level of tolerance for “these sorts of extreme attitudes, the hatred, the division, the bigotry and the cowardice”, Attorney-General Kyam Maher said on Monday.
“Just last year, laws came into effect that ban the use of nazi symbols, or the nazi salute people to face a $20,000 fine or a year in jail,” he said.
“The sort of hatred and division we’ve seen imported from extremists from interstate should not be tolerated.”
Most of the men arrested on Sunday were charged with failing to cease loitering and carrying an article of disguise, but a 25-year old West Australian man was charged under the new laws with using a nazi symbol.
“I think we can all take a degree of comfort in just how quickly the police were able to understand what was going on and handle the matter,” Mr Maher said.
“I think most South Australians are completely appalled at what we see from these right wing groups.”
The city’s Survival Day rally was delayed to ensure the groups did not cross paths.
On Tuesday, there was a national cabinet meeting where leaders from all states and territories and the federal government discussed anti-Semitism.
“I know that there is a push to look for a better database nationally, because these people do cross state borders, and also looking at what different laws we have in different states,” Mr Maher said.
The weekend arrests were a “very good example” of why a national database was needed, Mr Maher said.
On January 11, a group of masked activists were reported for carrying an article of disguise, after they stood on a bridge in the Adelaide CBD with a sign calling for mass deportations.
