- Jacob Hersant is said to have saluted outside the court
- He told reporters ‘Heil Hitler’ during alleged crime
- Hersant quickly realized his mistake
- The Nazi salute was banned in Victoria
- READ MORE: Nazi salutes banned in VIC
A leader of an Australian neo-Nazi movement has been charged over allegations he gave the Nazi salute outside a Melbourne court.
Jacob Hersant, 24, had just been released from the County Court of Victoria when he allegedly made the recently banned gesture to a waiting group of reporters.
“Heil Hitler,” he exclaimed proudly, seemingly raising his hand in the mean salute.
Jacob Hersant (right) is said to have given the Nazi salute while speaking to reporters outside a Melbourne court last week (pictured)
CCTV footage taken by several news media showed Hersant quickly withdrawing from the salute after remembering that it was now illegal.
“It almost worked… it’s illegal now, isn’t it?” Hersant said, still smiling for the cameras.
The incident was immediately reported to police, who confirmed it was the first reported incident since the ban came into effect in Victoria just a week earlier.
On Thursday, a Victoria Police spokesperson said Hersant was interviewed this week about the alleged incident.
“The man is expected to be charged on a summons for breach of section 41K of the Summary Offenses Act 1966 – Public display or performance of Nazi symbols or gestures,” a statement said.
‘The police apply a zero-tolerance policy to any violation of the ban on giving the Nazi salute or displaying Nazi symbols in public.’
Moments before Hersant performed the alleged salute, he and fellow neo-Nazi associate Thomas Sewell had walked free after a violent encounter with a group of hikers.
Sewell, 30, and Hersant were spared jail after both pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.
Jacob Hersant noted that the salute was illegal immediately after he allegedly performed it
The court was told that on May 8, 2021, Sewell, then leader of the European Australian Movement, and Hersant, who headed the National Socialist Network, met with members of the organizations at Cathedral Range State Park, northeast from Melbourne, for a ‘camping weekend’.
About 10 to 15 members of the group confronted a separate group of six friends staying nearby and chose to climb Mount Sugarloaf.
The court was told the incident began when one of the hikers filmed the men, many of whom were wearing T-shirts with the Celtic cross – a well-known symbol of white supremacy – after displaying an ‘Australia for the white man’ sticker had seen at a nearby mountain hut. tree.
The group, including Sewell and Hersant, began kicking and punching a vehicle as the walkers tried to leave, breaking windows and taking their cellphones.
One of the victims later said a Stanley knife was thrust through the windows when he was told to ‘give us your phones and get out of the car’.
Sewell (left) was sentenced to imprisonment for one month and seven days, which was recognized as a prison sentence
Sewell, who had spent more than six months in custody after his arrest, was sentenced to one month and seven days in prison, credited as time served.
Hersant was sentenced to 200 hours of community service over the next fourteen months.
“Good luck gentlemen,” Judge Kellie Blair said as she left the court.
Under the new laws, anyone who publicly displays or performs a Nazi symbol or gesture could face fines of up to $23,000, 12 months in prison, or both. The greeting is also banned in Tasmania and New South Wales.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson had warned Victorians not to even think about performing the salute in public.
“If any member of the public, including the National Socialist Network, attends any of these meetings and gives the Nazi salute, police will pursue these individuals to ensure we enforce the new law,” Deputy Commissioner Paterson said at the time .
“I would like to remind people that if that were to happen, the police will take action against these individuals from today.”