Nazi swastika displayed at Melbourne Palestine Nakba rally
A sign bearing a Nazi swastika was sighted at a 'Nakba' rally in Melbourne on Sunday in an apparent affront to state laws banning Nazi symbols from public display.
The sign, which appeared at the rally marking the displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948,
shows a red swastika imprinted against the Israeli flag, with the words 'Zionism' at the top of the sign and 'Nazism' on the bottom.
The man holding up the poster wears a jacket, cap and a keffiyeh scarf, a widely-adopted symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israel.
Victoria has outlawed the display of Nazi symbols, which embody German dictator Adolf Hitler's war machine and the slaughter of six millions Jews in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.
Victorian Police has confirmed with NewsWire it is investigating an 'an offensive sign' sighted at the State Library shortly after midday.
'No arrests were made however police have been made aware an offensive sign was sighted at the State Library shortly after midday,' a police spokeswoman said.
'Police will assess the image against state legislation to determine if an offence has been committed.
'Depending on the assessment a referral may also be made to AFP for further investigation.'
About 2000 protesters took to the streets across Melbourne for the May 18 rally.
The Arabic word 'nakba' translates to 'catastrophe' and is associated with widespread fury in the Arab world over the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
In Melbourne, the protesters gathered in the CBD before marching to Catani Gardens in St Kilda via the US consulate.
Other signs as the rally read: 'Israel kills one child every 10 minutes' and 'Free Palestine: From the river to the sea'.
'Officers were also told a water bottle was thrown while the group was walking along Princess Bridge,' the spokeswoman said.
'No one was injured however police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
'The groups dissipated peacefully at the conclusion of the protest.'
Victoria's laws came into effect in October 2023.
'Such displays cause harm to members of the Victorian community and this is unacceptable,' the government has said.
'The ban sends a clear message that Nazi ideology and the hate it represents is not tolerated in Victoria.
'There are several exceptions to the offence. These include where the display is made reasonably and in good faith for genuine academic, religious, artistic, or educational purposes.'Convicted offenders face a maximum penalty of a $23,000 fine or 12 months in prison, or both.
South Australia introduced a similar ban across 2023 and 2024 as the country grappled with how to beat back a nationwide explosion in anti-Semitism following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Holocaust survivor Andrew Steiner, speaking at the Adelaide Holocaust Museum in late 2023, said he had begun to see 'concerning cracks' appear in Australian society.
'We are extraordinarily successful multicultural, homogeneous society,' he said.
'However, there are unfortunate, concerning cracks which have appeared and need to be dealt with.
'But our emphasis here at the museum is one of being caring, harmonious, compassionate, everybody historically equal, there are no differences, we are all totally the same as human beings.'
NSW outlawed Nazi symbols in 2022.
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