Australia bans neo-Nazi group under new hate-crime laws
The Australian government has formally banned a neo-Nazi organisation under expanded hate-crime laws. The decision marks the first time such a group has been classified as a criminal organisation in Australia.
Australia's federal justice department said a neo-Nazi group has been placed on the prohibited organisations list under hate-crime laws expanded last year. The ban makes membership, public display of group symbols and organising events on its behalf criminal offences.
The move follows a report from the domestic intelligence agency ASIO that flagged far-right violence as a leading internal security threat. Police had widened their investigations in recent months after rallies in Melbourne and Sydney.
Opposition parties broadly backed the decision, although some civil liberties groups raised questions about the law's impact on freedom of speech. The justice department noted that designations may still be challenged through the federal courts.
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