A Gen Z neo-Nazi has become the first person in Australia to be sentenced to jail for performing a Nazi salute in public.
"This isn't just a sentence — it's a national roar that symbols of Nazism have no place on our soil," Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich told the Associated Press.
Jacob Hersant, 25, was convicted in the Melbourne Magistrates Court last month over an incident which occurred in October of 2023, where the far-right extremist performed the salute outside of a Melbourne court, as reported by AP.
The gesture was accompanied by racist comments made by Hersant, including "Australia for the white man." He also allegedly chanted "heil Hitler." Hersant is a member of the National Socialist Network, a white supremacist organization which advocates for the deportation of immigrants and other supremacist efforts.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet, who allowed Hersant to remain out of custody until his conviction, which occurred on Friday, sentenced the 25-year-old to one month in prison.
"If there was physical violence, then I would have imposed a sentence close to the maximum penalty," Sonnet said, as reported by AP. "The accused sought to promote Nazi ideology in the public arena and the court is satisfied he took advantage of the media to disseminate extreme political views."
"Put bluntly, the white man is not superior to any other race of people," Sonnet continued.
However, Hersant ended up being in custody for just about an hour before his lawyer's appeal against his conviction and subsequent sentence was approved, allowing him a bail application.
Hersant's lawyer, Tim Smartt, argued that Hersant's crimes, which were non-violent in nature, were not enough to warrant a prison sentence.
"It's not justified sending a 25-year-old to prison. That is wrong," Smartt told the magistrate.
"We're going to argue that the law is constitutionally invalid and it's emotional and it's anti-white," Hersant told reporters. "It's my political view and I think it's a good fight for us to have an argument in court saying these laws are invalid."
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