THE Anti-Defamation Commission has condemned a driver who stuck a Nazi symbol on their car.
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A distressed member of the public saw the car in California Gully on Saturday afternoon.
The Bendigo Advertiser has opted not to reproduce the symbol but is publishing an edited version of what was sent to the ADC.
It is unclear whether the driver was from Bendigo or not but the ADC's chairman Dvir Abramovich said the mere fact that someone moving through town felt no shame or fear about the sticker was alarming.
Dr Abramovich said a hate symbol "epidemic" was particularly evident in Victoria and that the ADC had evidence of a number of similar issues and far-right gatherings recently.
"What is going on in Victoria, and what does it say that in 2021, individuals with pure hatred in their heart, feel emboldened to proudly display a symbol that represents the pure evil that led to the death squads, gas chambers and the extermination of six million Jews and millions of others?," he asked.
"We should be concerned that there are people out there celebrating with the inhumanity of the Third Reich since we know that a belief in such a dangerous ideology can lead to real-life violence."
That included an Australian who massacred 51 people in a Christchurch mosque and others who attacked worshippers in American synagogues in recent years.
Dr Abramovich said that news of a Nazi symbol being displayed in Bendigo should be an opportunity for the state government to ban public displays of Third Reich symbols.
"This is not about freedom expression, and we all have a responsibility to speak up when such hateful acts take place. The time for talking is over," he said.
"Now is the time to act and to send the unmistakable message that Nazism has no place in Australia."
To do otherwise was to allow homegrown racists a free pass to nourish intolerance, Dr Abramovich said.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry recently recommended banning the display of symbols connected with Nazi ideology.
It suggested a new criminal offence be created, with considered exceptions where appropriate.
"This would allow Victoria Police to immediately remove Nazi symbols that are on deliberate display to vilify targeted communities," the inquiry ruled.
Premier Daniel Andrews indicated last month that his government would take action against the use of Nazi symbols.
"There's no place for those views, there's no place for those symbols, there's no place for those attitudes and conduct in a modern Victoria," he said after the inquiry handed down its findings.
The government is yet to formally respond to the inquiry's 36 recommendations but that is expected at a later date.
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