Australia cancels British man’s visa after charges that Nazi symbol was displayed

SYDNEY – Australia cancelled the visa of a British national after he was charged with displaying a banned Nazi symbol, the immigration minister said on Dec 24, as the country cracks down on anti-Semitism in the wake of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.

The government revoked the visa of the 43-year-old Briton who was charged on Dec 8 with displaying a Nazi symbol and advocating for violence against the Jewish community on social media platform X, according to Australian Federal Police.

“If you come to Australia on a visa, you are here as a guest,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, referring to the British citizen.

“If someone comes here for the purposes of hate, they can leave,” he said.

Mr Burke and the federal police did not name the British man, but the federal police said he displayed the Nazi Hakenkreuz – a type of swastika – and espoused “pro-Nazi ideology with a specific hatred of the Jewish community” from two X accounts from October to November.

After having his visa revoked, the man who was living in the state of Queensland was taken into immigration detention and would be deported unless he voluntarily left first, media reports said.

On Dec 14, a father and son allegedly

opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration

at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and sparking calls for the Australian government to do more to stop anti-Semitism.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead in the attack. His son Naveed Akram has been charged with murder and terrorism, with the police saying he was recorded saying he was motivated by the Quran.

As part of the government’s response to the Bondi Beach shooting and calls for

heightened action against anti-Semitism

, Mr Burke said he plans to lower the legal thresholds for a person’s anti-Semitic actions to be illegal.

He has previously said that anti-Semitic groups intentionally curb their language to avoid criminal charges while violating Australian community standards.

He also said that for a visa cancellation, the authorities needed to prove a person’s actions had a harmful impact on the community, but “incitement of hate should be enough”.

“We should be able to cancel visas on that basis alone,” Mr Burke told the ABC. “There will... be legislation to increase my powers to make cancellations of exactly this nature.” REUTERS