If the law thinks that the posters seized from the Dissent club in Canberra are antisemitic, then - to paraphrase Dickens - the law is 'a ass, a idiot'.

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The police explained why the posters may be illegal. It's not because they show the Israeli prime minister (along with Messrs. Trump, Musk, Putin and other right-wing notables) in Nazi uniform, but because of the symbols on those uniforms, namely swastikas or the SS lightning symbol (known as a Nazi double-sig rune).

The Attorney-General's Department spells out the law: "A person may commit an offence if they display a prohibited symbol or make the Nazi salute in a public place and they display it in a way that a reasonable person would consider does any of the following:

involves spreading ideas based on racial superiority or hatred

advocates hatred of a person or group because of their race, religion or nationality

constitutes incitement to offend, insult, humiliate, intimidate or use force or violence against a person or group because of their race, religion or nationality

is likely to offend, insult or intimidate a person because of their race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, disability, language, religion, political or other opinion or national or social origin."

It should be obvious to anyone that a "reasonable person" would not think any of those conditions apply to the posters. Under the title, "Turd Reich", they target a fascistic bent in some politicians.

You can argue whether that's an accurate........

© Canberra Times