NSW Implements Stricter Punishments for the Display of Nazi Symbols and Disturbance of Places of Worship.
The New South Wales government has introduced laws that could result in a two-year prison term for individuals who intentionally incite racial hatred or display Nazi symbols near places of worship, such as synagogues.
Premier Chris Minns, who announced the bill on Feb. 6, emphasized that these “strong new laws” aim to protect the state’s multicultural community.
Under the proposed law, offenders could face up to two years in prison for committing such acts, with police granted move-on powers to address disruptive behavior. The Graffiti Control Act 2008 will also be amended to include an aggravated offense for graffiti in places of worship.
The Crimes Act 1900 will introduce new provisions making it illegal to block access to places of worship or harass individuals trying to access these locations.
To enforce these laws, the Minns government plans to allocate $525,000 for the NSW Police Force’s Engagement and Hate Crime Unit, in addition to $500,000 for training local authorities in combating hate crimes.
These new measures come in response to a series of anti-Semitic incidents across the country, including vandalism, arson attacks, and the discovery of explosives targeting Jewish institutions.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed further reforms to strengthen the sentencing regime for terrorism-related offenses, including mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment for acts of terrorism and classifying violence against places of worship as a hate crime.
On Feb. 6, the Labor government introduced its own bill for a one-year mandatory prison sentence for anyone displaying Nazi or terrorist symbols, along with other penalties for financing terrorism and other terrorism offenses.
