Airport worker charged over alleged Nazi salute at Jewish school group
A 23-year-old Melbourne Airport employee has been charged after allegedly performing a Nazi salute towards a group of Jewish schoolchildren inside an airport terminal.
The Australian Federal Police said the Greenvale man was arrested on Monday following an incident earlier that day. Police allege the man made the gesture in the direction of a group of school-aged Jewish children before leaving the area.
Melbourne Airport (photo MDRX CC BY-SA 4.0)
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage and interviewed witnesses before identifying the suspect. Police said the man holds an Aviation Security Identification Card as part of his employment at the airport.
He has been summoned to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 3.
The charge was laid under section 80.2H of the Criminal Code, which makes it an offence to publicly display Nazi symbols or perform a Nazi salute. The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the AFP’s National Security Investigations team, which focuses on threats to public safety and social cohesion.
Jewish community leaders have condemned the alleged conduct, particularly because it was directed at children.
Anti-Defamation Commission Chair Dr Dvir Abramovich told the Herald-Sun the alleged gesture was “pure antisemitism and hatred aimed at children”.
“This was an act designed to intimidate and frighten Jewish schoolchildren,” he said. “It has no place in Australia. The Nazi salute is not a joke or a prank. It is the opening line of mass murder.”
Jewish community organisations have reported a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia since October 2023. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry says more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded nationwide between October 2023 and September 2024, around three times the number reported in the previous year.
Federal parliament has recently passed amendments to the Criminal Code strengthening hate crime offences, including those relating to Nazi symbols and salutes. The changes have drawn criticism from some legal groups, who argue mandatory sentencing limits judicial discretion.
The matter will now proceed through the courts.
