“A former Neighbours star has been found guilty of a public Nazi salute he made in 2024.
Damien Richardson performed an illegal Nazi salute in public but was not intending to display loyalty to Adolf Hitler, a magistrate says.
Richardson made the gesture in 2024 during a speech to the National Workers Alliance, a group that stands for "the preservation of Western culture and identity".
The magistrate noted Mr Richardson's actions did not mean he was displaying loyalty, affiliation or obedience to Adolf Hitler.
"Just prior to him giving the salute, the accused was complaining of his treatment by The Age newspaper," Magistrate Foster said.
"He was saying that The Age treated him badly and was essentially labelling him as a Nazi or like Hitler, to shut down what some might describe as extreme right-wing views.
"The salute that came immediately afterwards was in a mocking gesture, perhaps aimed at The Age, perhaps aimed at himself, I don't know.
"It was trying to demonstrate, together with the words that follow, that he clearly wasn't Adolf Hitler and that he's not a Nazi."
Magistrate Foster said Mr Richardson shut down "elements of antisemitism in the room" and told people at the event his grandfather fought against the Nazis in war.
The maximum penalty is a $23,000 fine and a 12-month jail term.
The laws include exemptions for those who display Nazi symbols for academic, artistic, educational, scientific purposes and media reporting.
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This makes my blood boil.
So a bloke does a Nazi salute mocking the media who called him a Nazi, and now he faces jail time even though it was obvious to the judge he wasn’t displaying allegiance to Hitler.
The irony of the Victorian police in laying the charges who behaved like Nazis during Covid is even more infuriating. The police have even allowed self confessed Nazis to speak at rallies.
The double standards are breathtaking and symptomatic of how perverse our laws have become.
Damien is extremely proud of his grandfather and the Anzacs who did fight Nazis, yet for displaying his gratitude to his own forefathers he is now charged with a type of trumped up crime they fought against.
Remember earlier this year I voted against changes to the Federal Hate Crimes Bill because the legislation was changed from intent to careless?
I called out the legislation as being another dangerous example of government overreach. Not the least because the States already had Hate Crimes legislation such as the one Damien was charged under.
Remember how it was concocted on a media beat up that turned out to be false.
Remember how One Nation told the media they supported it and then abstained due to pressure from Zionists. They then had the audacity to call me a liar for calling them out on it.
This is a grave attack on freedom of speech and more importantly Government intimidation on freedom of thought.
If you want to help fight back against this tyranny please join
Peoplefirstparty.au
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