Man charged after allegedly performing Nazi salutes at Canberra shopping centres | Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
An 18-year-old has been charged with allegedly making two Nazi salutes and displaying “propaganda-style stickers” in Canberra shopping malls in recent months.
The man is expected to appear before the ACT magistrates court on Friday; Here police will allege a member of the public confronted him in October while he was placing stickers at a shopping center and then giving a Nazi salute before leaving the centre.
Police said the man allegedly made the Nazi salute once again at a different shopping mall on December 12.
Police said the man will also be charged with trespassing at the Australian National University on multiple occasions in August and September, where he “applied propaganda-style stickers to buildings and other property”.
Sign up: AÜ Breaking News email
The man was also charged with two counts of damaging government property.
A national security investigation team from the Australian federal police (AFP) executed a search warrant at a property in the Canberra suburb of Weston on Wednesday, where mobile phones, a computer, stickers, storage devices, a video camera and clothing were seized.
AFP deputy commissioner for counter-terrorism and special investigations Stephen Nutt said antisemitism was not tolerated in Australia.
“Anyone alleged to have made a Nazi salute is engaging in criminal behavior that has brought pain and suffering to the Jewish community and divided Australian society,” Nutt said.
He said the national security investigation team was set up in September to target “those who cause great harm to the social cohesion of Australia, including attempts to vilify marginalized communities”.
“Antisemitism is a cancer that requires swift and direct action, and the AFP continues to do so,” Nutt said. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to stopping hate, division and violence in society.”
Police have warned that one of the signs that a person may be prone to radicalization is that they move away from their usual friends and family members.
Other signs include an increase in the extremist nature of the rhetoric or propaganda they share; a child using hateful or emotionally charged language; Developing an obsession with conspiracy theories or controversial social issues; overreacting to certain news or policies; Police said he was spending more and more time on fringe forums on the Internet.
