Queensland Man Charged Over Nazi Salute at Football Match

The 39-year-old was arrested at the Lions-Suns semi-final clash and also handed a lifetime AFL ban.

A protester performs a Nazi salute at the Shrine of Remembrance during an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sept. 5, 2020. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Queensland police have charged a 39-year-old man after he allegedly made a Nazi salute during the national anthem and Welcome to Country at the weekend’s AFL clash between the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns.

He has also been banned for life from all AFL matches.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly said the man was arrested inside the Gabba on Sept. 13 after reports from spectators.

“Officers in attendance quickly responded and took the man into custody,” Kelly said.

The man, from Pratten in southern Queensland, has been charged with one count of public display of giving a Nazi salute.

Police spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the act was not premeditated and that they have found no evidence of links to far-right groups.

He is due to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Sept. 29.

Crackdown on Hate Symbols

The charge is one of the first to be laid under Queensland’s tougher hate crime laws, introduced in 2023.

The legislation makes it an offence to publicly display symbols or gestures associated with violent extremism, such as swastikas or Nazi salutes.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a fine of up to 70 penalty units.

“It is really important that people do report these kinds of behaviours and that is what we are seeking from the community,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Kelly said.

“If you see something that’s not right, let us know,” he added.

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon told ABC that the lifetime ban showed “how we [the AFL] feels about it.”

Growing Number of Incidents Nationally

The Brisbane incident is the latest in a series of Nazi salute cases that have been prosecuted across the country in the past year.

In March, New South Wales Police charged a 40-year-old man for allegedly performing the salute in Chatswood, Sydney. He was charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public without excuse.

A month earlier, seven young men aged 19 to 25 were charged in Geelong, Victoria, after an image of them performing the salute circulated online. In other cases, a 54-year-old man faced court in January over an incident in Balmain, while a 20-year-old was arrested in Newtown in November 2024.

Three construction workers were fined between $500 and $1,500 last October after performing Nazi salutes outside the Sydney Jewish Museum, later claiming it was a joke.