Australia's hate crime law imposes Nazi salutes mandatory jail
On Thursday, Australia’s parliament passed an amendment to its anti-hate crimes law, expanding protections for specific groups against hate speech and discrimination.
It also imposes minimum jail sentences for terror crimes and the display of hate symbols like the Nazi swastika, News.Az reports citing Deutsche Welle.
The mandatory minimum sentences range from 12 months for less serious hate crimes, such as giving a Nazi salute in public, to six years for those found guilty of terrorism offenses.
The Hate Crimes law includes bans on threatening force or violence against people on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, among other things.
Acts of antisemitism on the rise in Australia
Like other parts of the world, the country has seen a surge of attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars of Jewish community members across the country in recent months.
These include an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne in December and the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives with a list of Jewish targets in Sydney.
"We want people who are engaged in antisemitic activities to be caught, to be charged and put in the clink. That's my priority," Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters after the law was passed on Thursday.
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