BY DAKOTA TAIT
The Hunter's Jewish community is welcoming a push in New South Wales Parliament to ban the display of Nazi symbols in public.
The State's Lower House passed the bill on Tuesday with unanimous support, though it's yet to see the Legislative Council.
Under
the legislation, offenders would face penalties including 12 months'
imprisonment, and fines up to $11,000 or $55,000 for a corporation.
Newcastle Hebrew Congregation President Max Lenzer says it's an important step forward.
"It's balanced, and I think something most people agree with, that the swastika and Nazi symbols are still strongly associated with anti-Semitism and Nazism and World War II, which would be offensive to Jewish people and other members of the community," he said.
"Especially Jewish people who either were Holocaust survivors, or many people whose families perished in concentration camps and the relatives of Holocaust survivors."
"In addition to offence to Jewish people, it has been adopted by white supremacists as a symbol of hate against other groups and religions, the LGBTQI community as well."
The legislation makes exceptions for the use of Nazi symbols in artistic, academic, or education purposes, or the religious use of the swastika by Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains.
"For certain cultures and countries it's not a symbol of hate and evil, it's a symbol of good luck," Mr Lenzer said.
"In other countries, such as India, Nepal, and Japan, it's also not thought of as obviously a symbol of hate."
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| Image credit: Newcastle Hebrew Congregation. |
