this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2025
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Summary

Australia has enacted strict anti-hate crime laws, mandating jail sentences for public Nazi salutes and other hate-related offenses.

Punishments range from 12 months for lesser crimes to six years for terrorism-related hate offenses.

The legislation follows a rise in antisemitic attacks, including synagogue vandalism and a foiled bombing plot targeting Jewish Australians.

The law builds on state-level bans, with prior convictions for individuals performing Nazi salutes in public spaces, including at sporting events and courthouses.

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[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 hours ago (3 children)

I don't think this behavior should be socially tolerated; however, I don't think it's a good idea to police it through the use of governmental force.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 9 minutes ago* (last edited 8 minutes ago) (1 children)

well put. i still thoroughly disagree with you, mind, but this comment clicked my understanding of this argument.

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 minutes ago

[…] i still thoroughly disagree with you […]

Would you mind outlining why?

[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 11 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

I don’t think it’s a good idea to police it through the use of governmental force.

Oh it absolutely is.

If you don't think it should be socially tolerated, then great, regulations are how we enforce social tolerance in a manner that isn't just "I don't like you, please stop, but also I won't do anything to you if you keep doing it."

Furthermore, and this is something you'll probably see brought up a lot when using that talking point, there is a paradox of tolerance that cannot be avoided when it comes to issues like Nazism. Nazi rhetoric is inherently discriminatory and intolerant. If you allow it to flourish, it kills off all other forms of tolerance until only itself is left. If you don't tolerate Nazi rhetoric, it doesn't come to fruition and destroy other forms of tolerance.

Any ideology that actively preaches intolerance towards non-intolerant groups must not be tolerated, otherwise tolerance elsewhere is destroyed.

(This mini comic explains the paradox well, as well.)

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works -2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 33 minutes ago) (2 children)

Furthermore, and this is something you’ll probably see brought up a lot when using that talking point, there is a paradox of tolerance that cannot be avoided when it comes to issues like Nazism. Nazi rhetoric is inherently discriminatory and intolerant. If you allow it to flourish, it kills off all other forms of tolerance until only itself is left. If you don’t tolerate Nazi rhetoric, it doesn’t come to fruition and destroy other forms of tolerance.

Any ideology that actively preaches intolerance towards non-intolerant groups must not be tolerated, otherwise tolerance elsewhere is destroyed.

I would like to clarify that I am not advocating for tolerance. It's quite the contrary. I am advocating for very vocal intolerance of these groups and their behaviors. It is simply my belief that governmental force is not a necessary means to this end, not to mention that it is incompatible with the ideas of liberalism ^[1]^, which I personally espouse.

References

  1. Title: "Liberalism". Wikipedia. Published: 2025-02-02T19:43Z. Accessed: 2025-02-08T05:47Z. URI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism.
    • ¶1

      […] Liberals espouse various and often mutually warring views depending on their understanding of these principles but generally support private property, market economies, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), liberal democracy, secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion.

      • Policing speech is incompatible with the freedom of speech.
[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago (3 children)

I would like to reiterate that I am not advocating for tolerance. It’s quite the contrary. I am advocating for very vocal intolerance of these groups and their behaviors.

Saying we shouldn't police those behaviors is actively stating that you want to tolerate them, just via legal means rather than solely social ones. You say you don't want to tolerate them socially, but when it comes to any actual legal intervention, suddenly, they should be tolerated. If saying they shouldn't be stopped using the force of law isn't tolerating the behavior more than saying we should stop them using the force of law, then I don't know what is.

It is simply my belief that governmental force is not a necessary means to this end, not to mention that it is incompatible with the ideas of liberalism [1], which I personally espouse.

Then you should reconsider your ideology. If your ideology allows Nazis to face no legal consequences for being Nazis, while you simultaneously state that you don't believe they should be tolerated, then you hold mutually contradictory views.

If you don't think their views should be tolerated, you should support actions that prevent their views from being held and spread. If you don't do that, then you inherently are tolerating them to an extent.

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 37 minutes ago* (last edited 27 minutes ago)

[…] If you don’t think their views should be tolerated, you should support actions that prevent their views from being held and spread. […]

I support social actions that prevent their views from being held and spread.

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 38 minutes ago* (last edited 28 minutes ago)

[…] If your ideology allows Nazis to face no legal consequences for being Nazis, while you simultaneously state that you don’t believe they should be tolerated, then you hold mutually contradictory views. […]

This is a loaded statement — it depends on what you mean by "being Nazis".

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 39 minutes ago* (last edited 33 minutes ago)

[…] If saying they shouldn’t be stopped using the force of law isn’t tolerating the behavior more than saying we should stop them using the force of law, then I don’t know what is. […]

Yes, I agree that not using governmental force would be more legally tolerant — as you mentioned above:

Saying we shouldn’t police those behaviors is actively stating that you want to tolerate them, just via legal means rather than solely social ones.

[–] CarbonBasedNPU@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago (2 children)

Liberalism has proven ineffective at keeping fascists out of power I say we do something else.

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 minutes ago

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that you think the current government (USA) is fascist. If so, would you mind describing exactly why you think that? Do note that I'm not disputing your claim — I'm simply curious what your rationale is.

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

[…] regulations are how we enforce social tolerance in a manner that isn’t just “I don’t like you, please stop, but also I won’t do anything to you if you keep doing it.” […]

I think a more forceful alternative could be being something like "I wont allow you into my place of business". I think one could also encounter issues with finding employment, or one could lose their current employment. Social repercussions like that can be quite powerful imo. I think the type of tolerance that's damaging is the complacent/quiet type where one simply lets them be without protest.

[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 0 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I think a more forceful alternative could be being something like “I wont allow you into my place of business”

Ah yes, not letting Nazis buy from a business, at the business's will, dependent on every single individual place of employment all knowing they're a Nazi and actively choosing to deny them business and employment, as opposed to... just locking them up so they don't have a chance of their views being spread in the world. Truly, the "more forceful alternative."

[–] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 1 points 47 minutes ago

[…] Truly, the “more forceful alternative.”

I only meant more forceful than your only stated possibility:

I don’t like you, please stop, but also I won’t do anything to you if you keep doing it.

[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

My thoughts exactly. I have absolutely no sympathy for Nazis, or anyone else who thinks mass murder and genocide were good policy. But one of the things that makes a free society different from Nazi Germany, is free expression. If we limit free expression to only things the people in charge want expressed, no matter how noble the intent that starts us down a very dark path very quickly.

The way we fight Nazis and racism is not by beating them up or jailing them. It's by teaching each other and our children why they are wrong, by learning and understanding what it is like to have racism directed against you. And thus, we defeat racism not with force but with empathy.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the sort of policy that would make Hitler proud. It's the sort of policy that would be enacted in Nazi Germany, or Soviet Russia.

[–] CarbonBasedNPU@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago

How well did that work out for us this time? We have concrete evidence that this is not enough and that we need to try something else at this point.

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Maybe Musk should take one of his Boeing Cyberplanes to Australia

[–] JordanfireStar@lemmy.world 28 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I used to be a person that believed very strongly in freedom of speech and that anything which was categorized as a philosophy or belief shouldn't be censored.

However, after seeing how hard fascism has taken hold in America, I'm beginning to change my mind.

[–] MrNobody@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Freedom of speech was created so citizens could feel safe criticising the government, not so they could spout hatred about people who were different to them. You can say whatever the fuck you want, up until it makes others unsafe, that doesn't mean oh they say bad words and im offended, or i don't like them promoting that candidate over the one i like that has christian* values. No, that means you words and actions intentionally incite hatred and violence.

All this hiding behind free speech shite thats been happening for a very long time has just given the shit cunts the courage to be shit cunts. And now because the US shat the bed and its been spreading the world, the rest of the world needs to sanitise.

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 hours ago

time has just given the shit cunts the courage to be shit cunts

There's something to be said for that, knowing they are shit cunts.

[–] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 hours ago

Redefining the freedom of speech can be a slippery slope. It will depend upon who is in power and their personal views. Hate speech is something that can be targetted. There would need to be statutory limitations to prevent misuse of the legislative principles. If the Germans can do it right, so can we, wherever we live.

[–] othermark@lemm.ee 2 points 6 hours ago

Any good tech companies in Australia? How hard are the citizenship requirements if you avoid all the Mel Gibsons?

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago

Kudos to Australia. Leon Hitler should travel there, have his arrested and deposited in the middle of the Great Australian Desert.

[–] wisely@feddit.org 16 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

If anyone with enough money and power does this they will likely not have it applied to them. It was just a weird awkward gesture right?

[–] IhaveCrabs111@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago

Yes that’s how corruption works

[–] ricketyrackets@lemmy.ml 18 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Send nazi pig Elon there on a one way flight.

[–] ubergeek@lemmy.today 13 points 11 hours ago

Hey now! Australia is probably sick of everyone just sending criminals there!

[–] obsolete@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 6 hours ago

I can't see this actually happening since people who continue to commit crime, are re-released on bail.

[–] Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee 31 points 17 hours ago (18 children)

Good. This needs to be worldwide. They need to reeducate the people as to

A: Why the Nazis were bad beyond 'they wanna kill people!' Their utter disgust of science and technology, and how their social policies were actively fucking over their own people in addition to others. B: Just how incompetent the Nazis were, and were far from a hyperefficient machine. C: Just how bad they were at science and despite their demonization, West Germany was never fully denazified and how many former Nazi officers returned to work as politicians and military officers.

There is a plethora of books written before and during WW2 that showcased just how evil the Nazis were and how fucked their society was. They also need a review of Mein Kampf and how Hitler dictated it. Exactly like how Trump dictated the Art of the Deal to a writer and did not write it himself.

My suggestion of one book written during the Nazi Era is Education for Death by Gregor Ziemer. The society it showed was really, REALLY fucked. How anyone could think this was a paradise is beyond me. Most modern fascists, with their donut bodies and chinless faces would be the types considered feeble and probably sterilized as a 'charity'.

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