A far-right extremist has been jailed for one month for performing the Nazi salute in public after becoming the first person in Victoria to be prosecuted for the offence.
Prominent neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant, 25, arrived at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday prepared for a stint behind bars after a magistrate indicated jail was the only appropriate sentence.
“I’m ready to go to jail,” he told reporters as he walked into court.
On 27 October 2023, Hersant raised his arm to salute in front of journalists and camera crews outside the County Court, six days after the came into effect.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet found Hersant guilty as he intentionally performed the gesture.
On Friday, he handed Hersant a one-month jail term despite last-minute arguments from his defence lawyer that he was exercising his “freedom of speech”.
“Freedom of speech is not an absolute concept recognised in Australia,” Sonnet said.
The magistrate found the salute was “racist and seeks to promote white supremacy” and said it was a serious example of the offence.
“The accused sought to promote Nazi ideology in the public arena; in my view, this elevates the offence’s gravity,” he told the court.
Hersant is the first Victorian to be found guilty of intentionally performing the Nazi salute in public since laws were introduced in October last year.
