Sydney — A far-right Australian man was freed on bail Friday after a Melbourne court sentenced him to one month in jail for performing an illegal Nazi salute.
Jacob Hersant, 25, is the first person in the state of Victoria to be charged with performing the gesture, days after it was outlawed in 2023.
He was convicted of saluting journalists and media cameras outside a court where he was facing an unrelated charge on October 27, 2023.
The offence now carries a 12-month prison sentence and a fine of up to Aus$23 000 (US$15 307) in Victoria.
On Friday, magistrate Brett Sonnet sentenced Hersant to one month behind bars and said a fine was unlikely to deter the prominent neo-Nazi from re-offending, the ABC reported.
Prominent Australian nationalist Jacob Hersant has been sentenced to one month in jail after becoming the first Victorian to be found guilty of violating the state’s Nazi salute ban.https://t.co/dqqYFbfzU3
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) November 8, 2024
But his lawyer sought to overturn the decision and, hours later, Hersant was freed on bail while the appeal takes place, the ABC reported.
Australia banned this year the Nazi salute and the display or trade of Nazi symbols.
But intelligence officials have warned that growing numbers of Australians are being drawn towards neo-Nazi ideologies, as extremist groups step up efforts to recruit new members.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@Takeausback
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