Australia has passed new legislation aimed at combating a recent increase in antisemitic incidents. The laws include mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes and terrorism offences.
Australia implemented stringent anti-hate crime legislation on Thursday, encompassing mandatory minimum sentences for terrorism offenses and the display of hate symbols, aimed at curbing a recent upsurge in antisemitism. The laws establish minimum imprisonment terms ranging from 12 months for less severe hate crimes, such as giving a Nazi salute in public, to six years for individuals convicted of terrorism offenses.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who initially opposed mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes, stated to Sky News, 'I want people who are engaged in antisemitism to be held accountable, to be charged, to be incarcerated.' The government's hate crimes bill was initially introduced to parliament last year, creating new offenses for threatening force or violence against individuals based on their race, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status. Recent months have witnessed a surge in attacks on synagogues, buildings, and vehicles belonging to Jewish community members across the country, including the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives and a list of Jewish targets in Sydney. Albanese has faced criticism from the center-right opposition party for perceived weakness on crime and failure to address the rise in antisemitism. The Liberal-National coalition began advocating for mandatory minimum sentences to be added to the hate crimes bill last month. Home Affairs minister Tony Burke, who introduced the amendments enabling these provisions late on Wednesday, declared the changes to be the 'toughest laws Australia has ever had against hate crimes.' The state of New South Wales, where the majority of antisemitic attacks have occurred, announced on Wednesday that it would also strengthen its hate speech laws to align with those already in place in Western Australia and Victoria
AUSTRALIA ANTI-HATE CRIME LAWS ANTISEMITISM MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES TERRORISM OFFENSES
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