South Australia enforces anti-extremism laws after Australia Day protest
South Australia is enforcing its anti-extremism laws following a protest on Australia Day that resulted in arrests for the use of Nazi symbols and other related charges.
A state is cracking down on "imported hatred" and will continue to use new anti-extremism laws, following a protest on Australia Day that resulted in a man being charged with using a Nazi symbol.
He was part of a group of 15 men and one youth carrying Australian flags and dressed in black who were arrested after a protest in front of a war memorial and a march through Adelaide's CBD.
The alleged members of the National Socialist Network, almost all of whom travelled from interstate, will appear in court on Tuesday.
South Australia has some of the strongest anti-extremism laws in the country, with no tolerance for "these sorts of extreme attitudes, the hatred, the division, the bigotry and the cowardice", according to Attorney-General Kyam Maher.
"Just last year, laws came into effect that ban the use of Nazi symbols, or the Nazi salute which can lead to a $20,000 fine or a year in jail," he stated.
"The sort of hatred and division we've seen imported from extremists from interstate should not be tolerated."
Most of the men arrested on Sunday were charged with failing to cease loitering and carrying an article of disguise. However, a 25-year-old West Australian man was charged under the new laws for using a Nazi symbol.
"I think we can all take a degree of comfort in just how quickly the police were able to understand what was going on and handle the matter," Mr Maher noted.
"I think most South Australians are completely appalled at what we see from these right-wing groups."
The city's Survival Day rally was delayed to ensure the protest groups did not cross paths.
On Tuesday, a national cabinet meeting took place where leaders from all states and territories and the federal government discussed anti-Semitism.
"I know that there is a push to look for a better database nationally, because these individuals do cross state borders, and also looking at what different laws we have in different states," Mr Maher mentioned.
The weekend arrests were seen as a "very good example" of why a national database was needed, he added.
On January 11, a group of masked activists were reported for carrying an article of disguise after they stood on a bridge in the Adelaide CBD with a sign calling for mass deportations.
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