Jacob Hersant found guilty of performing illegal gesture in Victoria

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A white supremacist has become the first person in Victoria to be found guilty of breaking a law which bans performing the nazi salute in public. The man has shown no remorse for the offensive gesture and says he'll do it again.

Transcript

00:00He's a convicted criminal and a neo-Nazi, and despite losing in court, Jacob Hersont

00:07has vowed to keep spreading hate.

00:09I'll still continue to give the salute, but hopefully police officers don't see it.

00:17Hersont is a prominent white supremacist.

00:19Last year he narrowly dodged jail over a violent attack, but outside the court he did this

00:25in front of reporters.

00:26Oh, I nearly did it, it's illegal now, isn't it?

00:30Days earlier the Victorian government banned public Nazi salutes after members of the far

00:35right gathered on the steps of parliament.

00:37The Nazi salute is a call for the murder of every Jew.

00:42It was one of the main symbols for Hitler's regime.

00:46Today Hersont became the first person to be found guilty of the offence, with a magistrate

00:50rejecting Hersont's claims that he didn't actually perform a full salute.

00:55We took very, very strong action as a government, as a parliament, as a society, to say that

01:00Nazi salute behaviour is utterly unacceptable.

01:03The court also dismissed an argument that performing the Nazi salute was an act covered

01:08by constitutional freedom of expression.

01:11And the very powerful message that has been sent to these neo-Nazis is this.

01:16In the battle between good and evil, in the fight for the heart and soul of our nation,

01:21you will not win.

01:22I would hope that these individuals get more than a slap on the wrist ultimately.

01:27We need these people to be properly sentenced.

01:30The maximum penalty for performing a Nazi salute in public is a $23,000 fine or 12 months

01:37in jail.

01:38But Jacob Hersont says he isn't worried about the prospects of being locked up.

01:42He'll return to court tomorrow for a pre-sentence hearing.

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