Australia Revokes British National’s Visa After Charges Over Nazi Symbol Display and Hate Posts
Federal authorities cancel the visa of a British man in Queensland as part of an intensified crackdown on extremist conduct and antisemitism.
A British man’s visa has been revoked by Australian authorities after he was charged with publicly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols and promoting extremist content that allegedly targeted the Jewish community.
The man, a forty-three-year-old United Kingdom citizen residing in Queensland, was charged earlier this month following an investigation by the Australian Federal Police’s National Security Investigations team.
Police allege that between October and November he used social media platform X to post Nazi iconography and espouse a pro-Nazi ideology, including advocating violence against the Jewish community, after one account was blocked and he created a second to continue posting offensive material.
During a search of his home in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, officers seized weapons including swords bearing swastika symbology, axes and knives, along with mobile phones.
The man faces three counts of publicly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, with maximum penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment for each charge.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the man’s visa cancellation on Wednesday, stating that people in Australia on visas are guests and that those who come to the country “for the purposes of hate” are not welcome.
Following the revocation, the man has been taken into immigration detention and will be deported unless he departs voluntarily.
Burke said the government intends to strengthen legal powers to cancel visas in cases involving hate speech and extremist conduct, arguing that incitement of hate should, of itself, justify cancellation.
The action follows a broader national focus on countering antisemitism and extremist behaviour, including recent legislative proposals in response to a deadly attack at a Sydney beach earlier this month.
Authorities have emphasised that laws banning the public display of Nazi symbols, now in force across Australia, are part of efforts to protect social cohesion and deter behaviour that threatens community safety and harmony.
The man, a forty-three-year-old United Kingdom citizen residing in Queensland, was charged earlier this month following an investigation by the Australian Federal Police’s National Security Investigations team.
Police allege that between October and November he used social media platform X to post Nazi iconography and espouse a pro-Nazi ideology, including advocating violence against the Jewish community, after one account was blocked and he created a second to continue posting offensive material.
During a search of his home in Caboolture, north of Brisbane, officers seized weapons including swords bearing swastika symbology, axes and knives, along with mobile phones.
The man faces three counts of publicly displaying prohibited Nazi symbols and one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, with maximum penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment for each charge.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the man’s visa cancellation on Wednesday, stating that people in Australia on visas are guests and that those who come to the country “for the purposes of hate” are not welcome.
Following the revocation, the man has been taken into immigration detention and will be deported unless he departs voluntarily.
Burke said the government intends to strengthen legal powers to cancel visas in cases involving hate speech and extremist conduct, arguing that incitement of hate should, of itself, justify cancellation.
The action follows a broader national focus on countering antisemitism and extremist behaviour, including recent legislative proposals in response to a deadly attack at a Sydney beach earlier this month.
Authorities have emphasised that laws banning the public display of Nazi symbols, now in force across Australia, are part of efforts to protect social cohesion and deter behaviour that threatens community safety and harmony.
