Out of Sight …

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Australia will introduce a new bill next week that will ban the public display of Nazi symbols amid concerns that far-right and white supremacist groups are using them to raise their profile, Voice of America reported Thursday.

The proposed law will prohibit flags, clothing, armbands, and other symbols related to the Nazi party of Adolf Hitler, including the Hakenkreuz – better known as the swastika. Bans also apply to symbols of the Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary group of the Nazi party.

Offenders can face up to 12 months in prison.

Officials said that the bill will make exceptions for the artistic, academic, or religious use of swastikas, which have a spiritual significance in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, Reuters noted.

Even so, they added that the bill will not ban the Nazi salute, noting that the “banning of these gestures is a matter for state and territory laws.”

Many including Jewish groups welcomed the proposed law.

Intelligence officials have been warning that far-right groups are on the rise in Australia and that they had become more organized and visible.

In March, neo-Nazis clashed with transgender rights protesters in Melbourne, raising their arms in a Nazi salute near the state parliament. Last year, a soccer fan who made the same salute at the Australia Cup final received a lifetime ban from Football Australia-sanctioned games.