Australia: Queensland to ban Nazi swastika tattoos

The government of Queensland, Australia has committed to making it illegal to display Nazi swastika tattoos.

The announcement forms part of the state's ban on hate symbols, which the government says will be one of the strongest in the country.

Other states are installing similar messages, with New South Wales already having a ban in place and Western Australia and Tasmania are also planning to include tattoos in their proposed bans.

On the other hand, Victoria, the first state to ban the public display of the Nazi swastika has not include tattoos in its ban.

Speaking to the Guardian, the Queensland government said he ban will be introduced to parliament within a fortnight.

A spokesperson said the law would “strengthen Queensland’s hate crime laws” and make it illegal to display hate symbols “such as those related to Nazi ideology”.

The president of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, Jason Steinberg, said: “The banning of Nazi hate symbols, including tattoos, is a really welcome initiative.

"They’re symbols of hate that represent the murder of six million innocent Jewish people and five million others that were industrially slaughtered by the Nazi regime.

“People who have these symbols … should know that it’s a criminal offence and our society shouldn’t and can’t tolerate it.”

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