National

Man charged for displaying hate symbol on back of leg

May 15, 2026

A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with publicly displaying a swastika tattoo on the back of his leg in an outback town.

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It is the first time such a charge of displaying a banned Nazi symbol has been laid in the Northern Territory since federal legislation was introduced in 2024, police say.

NT Police said they were told a man attended a business in Alice Springs with a visible swastika tattoo on his leg in December 2025 and subsequent investigations led to his arrest on Thursday.

Police executed a search warrant at the man's home and seized items indicative of drug supply.

He has been charged with publicly displaying a prohibited Nazi symbol and remanded in custody to appear in Alice Springs Local Court on Friday.

NT Police Acting Commissioner Travis Wurst told reporters the investigation took five months as detectives had to work out the identity of the alleged offender, and then locate him.

The arrest and charges, laid under the Commonwealth Crimes Act, served as a warning for those displaying hate symbols and was apt given the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism was underway in Sydney, he said.