• Friday, March 29, 2024

HEADLINE STORY

Why Hindus are not complaining about Australian state Victoria banning ‘Swastika’

Representational Image (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER/AFP via Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

VICTORIA has become the earliest state in Australia to ban the public display of ‘Swastika’ — the Nazi symbol – for its role in anti-semitism and hate.
According to NRI Affairs website, the Summary Offences Amendment (Nazi Symbol Prohibition) Bill 2022 was cleared on Tuesday (21) and it makes the act of intentionally displaying the Nazi symbol a criminal offence.

Under the law, anybody found intentionally displaying the symbol in public will be slapped with a fine of £12,388 or a year-long imprisonment or both.
In a media release, the government of Victoria said, “This landmark passing sends a clear message that the dissemination of Nazi and Neo-nazi ideology through the public display of the Nazi symbol has no place in Victoria.”

Ros Spence, Victoria’s minister for multicultural affairs, said, “These laws are part of our unwavering commitment to challenge antisemitism, hatred and racism wherever and whenever they occur.”

Bill doesn’t prohibit ‘Swastika’ display in other religious and cultural contexts

However, other religious communities such as the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains were not unhappy with the decision as the bill doesn’t prohibit the display of ‘Swastika’ in the context of those religions and cultures.

Advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights – Australia and New Zealand (HfHR-ANZ) — welcomed the introduction of the legislation “as a way of countering the rise of neo-Nazism and racism.”

“We note the recognition within the legislation of ‘the cultural and historical significance of the swastika for the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and other faith communities’ and welcome the measure to allow the symbol to be displayed in these religious and cultural contexts. May the measured approach of this legislation lead to greater awareness, sensitivity and understanding within the broader community as we stand together in solidarity against anti-semitism, hatred and racism,” HfHR-ANZ spokesperson told NRI Affairs.

In October last year, the group while applauding the Victorian government over its plan to make the public display of Nazi symbols illegal, advised it against inadvertently targeting Hindus.

In a statement, it said, “Recent anti-Semitic incidents have used Nazi imagery to target Jewish Australians, and a ban on hateful imagery would help diverse Victorians feel safe in their communities. However, HfHR is concerned that without specific language exempting the Hindu Swastika from scrutiny, Hindus could inadvertently become a target of these new laws.”

The law will come into effect in six months. The legislation was brought forward after consultation with affected groups and their feedback.

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