Criminal Code Amendment (Prohibition of Nazi Symbols) Bill 2023

Liberty Victoria is deeply worried by the emergence of far-right extremism, but opposes the ban of the ‘hakenkreuz’ for the reasons set out in our joint submission to the PJCIS. We understand that the display of Nazi symbols is highly confronting and offensive, particularly to the Jewish community and other minority groups that have been targeted by fascist ideology. Whilst concerned about extremism in all forms, Liberty Victoria does not support the criminal prohibition on Nazi icons, primarily because: (1) such measures are unlikely to have any substantive impact in preventing the rise of extremism, especially given the adaptability of icons and the difficulty of enforcement; and (2) such measures are likely to be used by extremists to gain attention in the public arena and be leveraged to attempt to recruit new members. Prohibition gives extremists the attention they crave.