An admirer of Adolf Hitler will spend a month in jail for his decision to challenge a recently passed Australian law by publicly performing a salute made infamous by the German Nazi Party.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet in Melbourne sentenced Jacob Hersant, a member of the National Socialist Network, on Nov. 8 for his gesture made outside of the Victoria County Court on Oct. 27, 2023.
“The accused sought to promote Nazi ideology in the public arena, and the court is satisfied he took advantage of the media to disseminate extreme political views,” Sonnet said.
Lawyers for the 25-year-old say that Australia’s constitution should protect their client’s promotion of genocidal antisemitism due to the freedom of political communication.
Before his sentencing, Hersant said: “We’re going to argue that the law is constitutionally invalid, and it’s emotional and it’s anti-white.”
He could have received a maximum of 12 months imprisonment with a fine of 24,000 Australian dollars ($16,025). Sonnet explained that his decision of lower time was based on the grounds that “if there was physical violence, then I would have imposed a sentence close to the maximum penalty.”
