‘Becoming a farce’: history buffs angered by proposal to ban the Nazi swastika

A proposal to ban hate symbols such as the Nazi swastika and the Islamic State flag has whipped up strong emotions from history buffs and religious groups. 

Military memorabilia collectors and Muslim organisations are among the groups that worry the attorney-general’s bill will have unintended consequences, while Jewish groups have celebrated its aim.  

The submission inbox for the parliamentary committee that will scrutinise the bill is teeming with letters from collectors, some of whom complain their sector wasn’t consulted.

“I fully support the ban on selling replica items, T-shirts, banners and anything else that could be easily accessible and used to promote hateful ideology,” one collector wrote. “I also fully support the ban on public displays of items that many groups would quite rightly find extremely hurtful and offensive.

“There does, however, need to be a means whereby genuine collectors are able to buy and sell items from each other, hence the need for authorised dealers.”

A Queensland collectors’ society wrote in its submission there should be a difference made between modern products featuring Nazi symbols and historical artefacts. 

“Modern collectors would not knowingly have a reproduction in their collections. Our society promotes education and historic events,” the Australian Arms, Militaria and Munitions Historical Society wrote. “The intended rationale has been exceeded to the point of becoming a farce, with everyday Australians with a family history dating [to] WWII [and] Anzac Day veterans likely to become unintended targets.” 

The submission noted many collections of World War II items were highly valuable, and that “a typical Hitler youth knife is now attracting value exceeding $5000” and “a historic Luger [firearm] may exceed $40,000”.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich reacted strongly to the comments made in the submissions.

“How dare anyone call the ban on the twisted obsession and booming appetite for Third Reich paraphernalia in Australia a farce?” Abramovich said.

“Profits over morality is what this is, and these grisly items constitute the proceeds of history’s worst crime. The extermination and dehumanisation of millions should not have a tag price and be offered to the highest bidder.

“This grisly trade only fuels the appetite of Jew-haters and Final Solutionists and I once again applaud the federal government for criminalising the sale of Nazi memorabilia so as to stamp out this grotesque and sinister practice. These materials belong in museums, full stop.”

The collecting of Nazi memorabilia has made headlines in recent weeks — the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies recently slammed the sale at auction of concentration camp photographs, Adolf Hitler autographs and other SS paraphernalia.

“These disturbing photos and symbols are a chilling reminder of a horrific period in history and belong in museums to remember the horrors of the Holocaust, not flogged off to the highest bidder at auction,” chief executive Darren Bark told Guardian Australia.

“We urge those who bought these despicable items to donate them to the Sydney Jewish Museum so it can continue to educate the community and the next generation about the horrors of mankind.”

Concerns about the new bill have also been raised by Islamic groups. The Canberra Islamic Centre complained in a submission it hadn’t been consulted about the bill. It noted the IS flag — a terror cult operating in Syria and Iraq, among other places — contains the shahada, or Muslim profession of faith, depicted in the style of the seal used by the prophet Muhammad.

“We strongly refute the claim made in … the [bill’s] explanatory memorandum that the Islamic State flag ‘is widely recognised as representing and conveying ideologies of hatred, violence and racism’,” it said. “We wholeheartedly reject this statement because the words displayed on the flag constitute fundamental principles of the Islamic faith.” 

The words of the shahada mean “there is no god but Allah” and “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”, a creed that is displayed on many national flags and mosques worldwide.

The proposal to ban Nazi symbols — including the so-called hakenkreuz, or hooked cross — has been celebrated by Jewish groups. 

Because the hakenkreuz closely resembles the swastika symbol used by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, there will be a religious exemption in the bill. 

A spokesperson for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus previously told SBS the ban would apply to any symbol that “could be mistaken” for the Nazi hakenkreuz. 

Asked for comment, the attorney-general’s office pointed to comments he previously made to SBS: “We’re going to continue to consult now that I’ve introduced the legislation into the Parliament. And most importantly, it’s been referred to the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, who will be calling for submissions, holding public hearings and [listening to] any concerns by groups in the community about just what your question goes to, the wording of this legislation.

“We’re happy to work with anyone in the community who thinks that this legislation can be tweaked to make sure that we don’t have unintended consequences. That’s why we have parliamentary processes. That’s why we have a parliamentary committee hearing that is now about to take place.”