An Australian police sergeant likely to be charged over a Nazi salute

MELBOURNE, Australia -- An Australian state police chief apologized to the Jewish community on Saturday after a sergeant allegedly performed an outlawed Nazi salute.

The 65-year-old instructor on domestic violence policy and law at the Victoria state police academy in Melbourne is facing charges for the gesture and for praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler with the words, “Heil Hitler” on Tuesday and Wednesday in front of academy staff and recruits, Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said.

“I want to express just here at the outset my disappointment, my disgust, my anger at this appalling conduct,” Patton told a press conference.

“There is simply no place for this type of conduct in our society, let alone in this police force. For that reason, I want to profoundly apologize to the Jewish community but also to the community as whole,” Patton added.

Patton said the alleged behavior would exacerbate the grief and pain the Jewish community felt following the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

The police officer, whose name has not been released, has served for more than 40 years. She was suspended from duty on Friday and was interviewed by professional standards internal investigators on Saturday.

She will likely be charged by summons, a police statement said after Patton’s news conference. The offence carries a potential maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to 23,000 Australian dollars ($16,000).

Performing Nazi gestures and displaying Nazi symbols such as the swastika have been banned by various state and federal laws since 2022.

The scandal comes in a week a Melbourne judge told self-described Nazi Jacob Hersant that he will become the first person in Australia to be sentenced to prison for performing the same banned gesture when the 25-year-old appears in court next month.

In June, three soccer fans were fined for performing the salute during a Sydney match. The men were the first convicted in Australia for such offences and have lodged appeals.

The Police Association of Victoria, a police union, described the allegations as serious and said officers should be held to the same standards as the rest of the community.

“The Police Association has consistently condemned this offensive gesture and urged the government to toughen legislation and penalties against those who perform it,” a union statement said.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich, a leading opponent of antisemitism in Australia, praised the police force’s swift response to the officer’s alleged actions.

“A Nazi salute isn’t just a gesture -- it’s a horrifying symbol of genocide, terror, and antisemitism and for a police officer to wield this emblem of hate is beyond disturbing,” he said in a statement.

Patton said the suspended officer did not have a history of extreme views and her motives were unknown.

“But the motive doesn’t matter. The conduct should not, cannot and will not be tolerated,” Patton said.