Australia Cracks Down on Hate: Harsher Penalties, Mandatory Jail

Now, anyone showing Nazi or terrorist symbols must go to jail for at least a year.
Australia Cracks Down on Hate: Harsher Penalties, Mandatory Jail
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Naziya Alvi Rahman
Updated:
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The Australian Parliament has passed new hate speech laws, introducing harsher penalties, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for displaying terror symbols and committing certain terrorism-related offenses.

The legislation, which cleared the Senate on Feb. 6, creates new offenses targeting threats of violence against specific groups based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or political opinion.

Naziya Alvi Rahman
Naziya Alvi Rahman
Author
Naziya Alvi Rahman is a Canberra-based journalist who covers political issues in Australia. She can be reached at [email protected].