A 23-year-old Melbourne airport worker has been charged after allegedly performing a Nazi salute directed at a group of Jewish school-aged children. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the incident occurred on Monday in one of the airport terminals.
The man, from Greenvale in Melbourne's north, was arrested at his home and has been summonsed to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 3 March. He faces one count of public display of prohibited Nazi symbols or giving a Nazi salute, in breach of Commonwealth criminal laws.
The AFP alleges the man left the terminal shortly after the incident. Officers reviewed CCTV footage and interviewed witnesses to identify the suspect, who was found to be an airport employee holding an Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC).
The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and is subject to mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. The charge was brought by the AFP's National Security Investigations team, established in September last year to target groups causing high levels of harm to Australia's social cohesion, including the targeting of the Jewish community.
