Australia on Thursday passed anti-hate crime laws under which a Nazi salute in public, among other similar offences, will be punishable by a mandatory jail sentence. The laws were passed in an effort to tackle a wave of high-profile antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in Australia in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza.

Australia has passed tough anti-hate-crime laws, including mandatory jail time for giving a Nazi salute in public, in a bid to tackle a recent surge in anti-Semitism.

Australian lawmakers passed anti-hate legislation on Thursday, introducing minimum sentences for offenses like making a Nazi salute, which now carries a one-year jail term. The bill, supported by both the Labor government and conservative opposition,

Hate symbols and terror offences will be punishable with mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years in Australia, after lawmakers passed a series of amendments to hate crime laws on Thursday.

Australia has introduced strict laws to combat hate crimes, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for a range of terrorism offences and the display of hate symbols, following a spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.