Jacob Hersant, 25, saluted and praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in front of media cameras outside the Victorian County Court on October 27, 2023, after the Victorian state government banned such salutes six days ago.

In December, the Australian Federal Parliament passed a nationwide ban on the making of Nazi salutes in public, or the display or exchange of Nazi hate symbols.

A Melbourne judge found Hersant guilty, rejecting defence arguments that the gesture was not a greeting and that the ban violated the implicit right to free political communication.

Hersant is scheduled to be sentenced on October 9. He could face a fine and up to 12 months in prison.

Outside court, Hersant told reporters he would consider appealing to a higher court.

Hersant said he "didn't need" to admit that he had given a Nazi salute when he was caught on camera by media cameras a year ago.

"But I still give the Nazi salute and I am a Nazi. I will continue to give the salute, but I hope the police don't see it," Hersant said.

In June, three men were convicted of making a Nazi salute at a football match in Sydney on 1 October 2022. The state of New South Wales has banned Nazi symbols from 2022. The three were fined and have appealed.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)