A man has been charged with performing a Nazi salute, among other offences, in Melbourne.
Police allege the salute was performed outside a Mason Street home in Newport at about 3.50am on November 12.
Officers had been called to the scene over a noise complaint.
The 55-year-old was also charged with stalking and threats to kill.
He was granted bail and will appear in court on January 8.
Laws banning the Nazi salute and the display of Nazi symbols outside of genuine academic, religious, artistic, or educational contexts, came into effect in Victoria in October this year.
Victoria Police arrived at a residential address in Newport in the early hours of the morning after they received a noise complaint.
“It is alleged the salute was performed outside a Mason Street residential address about 3.50am on 12 November,” police said in a statement.
The Newport man was on Thursday charged with multiple offences which include the performance of a Nazi gesture.
The man was also charged with threats to kill and stalking.
Surrounding circumstances of the case are currently unknown.
The man was granted bail and will appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 8, 2024.
He is the second man charged with performing the offensive gesture since Victoria introduced the laws to prevent people from “displaying or performing symbols and gestures used by the Nazi party”.
The Summary Offences Amendment (Nazi Salute Prohibition) Act 2023 was passed into law and given royal assent in October 2023.
“It is incredibly disappointing that we need these laws,” Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said after the Act cleared the Legislative Council.
Offenders who commit an offence could face a $23,000 fine and 12 months in prison, or both.
The Nazi ban fact sheet put out by the Victorian Government states that the law only covers Nazi symbols and gestures “visible in a public place and not online.”
(9 News / Sky News)
