The Australian authorities have announced this Monday that they will ban the Nazi salute in Victoria regionthe second most populous in the country, as a result of the altercations carried out by ultra-rightists in Melbourne against a march in favor of the rights of the trans collective.
The Attorney General for the Victoria Region, Jaclyn Symes, has indicated that he will propose expanding the law that prohibits the Nazi swastika in the region from 2022 – under prison terms – to also punish the Nazi salute. “We are studying carefully how to do it, consulting various groups, and we will have more to say about the details of this legislation as we do it,” the prosecutor said in a statement posted on social networks.
To be approved, the proposal must be ratified by the parliament of this jurisdiction, where both the regional government and the opposition have already shown themselves in favor of the reform. On Saturday, between 20 and 30 Australian neo-Nazis they made the Nazi salute in front of the regional parliament, in the center of Melbourne, where they went with the aim of boycott a peaceful march in favor of the rights of trans people.
Far-right extremists verbally clashed with other protesters who were on the scene to defend the rights of trans people, forcing the Victoria Police to form a cordon to prevent further disturbances.
Following the incidents, law enforcement arrested at least three people, including a woman who assaulted a police officer. “The behavior we have seen was disgusting and cowardly. It is clear that this symbol has been used to incite hatrednot only against the Jewish people, but also against our LGTBIQ+ community and other minority groups,” the prosecutor condemned.
