The Australian Parliament passed tough anti-hate crime laws today, including mandatory minimum sentences for terror offences and displaying hate symbols, in a bid to tackle a recent surge in antisemitism.
The laws will impose minimum jail sentences of 12 months for less serious hate crimes, such as giving a Nazi salute in public, and up to six years for those found guilty of terrorism offences.
The government’s hate crimes bill was first introduced to Parliament last year, creating new offences for threatening force or violence against people based on their race, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status. Meanwhile, the state of New South Wales, where most of the antisemitic attacks have taken place, said it will also strengthen its hate speech laws to reflect those already in place in Western Australia and Victoria.
