Two men have been charged with prohibited Nazi symbols and gestures offences in New South Wales, and one will remain behind bars until at least Thursday.
A 47-year-old man appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Monday charged with intentionally marking premises without prescribed consent and knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol without an excuse after spending the night behind bars.
Police allege he painted swastikas on the wall of a pharmacy in Hamilton at 7.30am on Sunday, and he was arrested hours later and refused bail.
The accused refused to speak to the magistrate during his court appearance, and was refused bail again with his matter adjourned until Thursday, ABC News reported.
In a separate incident, a 54-year-old man was arrested and refused bail to appear in court on Monday after allegedly performing a Nazi salute at a Woolworths supermarket in Balmain, in Sydney’s inner-west, at 8.45am.
He faced in Downing Centre Local Court charged with knowingly display by public act Nazi symbol without excuse, make a gesture in a public place that is a Nazi salute, hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty, and behave in offensive manner in/near public place/school.
Prosecutors opposed bail on the grounds he was already subject to a conditional release order for offensive public behaviour, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Magistrate Ian Guy granted him conditional bail, and he will return to court on January 28.
The court appearances come after Argentinian man Norberto Trimestra, 68, was charged after allegedly making the Nazi salutes in a pub in Sydney’s CBD in December, and a 20-year-old man was charged with making the gesture at a rally for so-called transgender rights in Newtown in November.
Mr Trimestra was also refused bail and spent a night behind bars after his arrest, while an accused paedophile teacher was released despite being charged with child sex offences.
Header image credit: NSW Police
