A 34-year-old Melbourne man has been summoned to appear in court after allegedly waving a Hizballah flag through the streets of Melbourne’s CBD during a protest last year.
The Broadmeadows man is due to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 19 March 2025, after being served with a notice by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on 6 February.
The AFP alleges the man publicly displayed a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol, an offence under section 80.2HA of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment.
Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said the AFP was determined to hold those involved accountable.
“The AFP is relentlessly pursuing evidence and identifying those who allegedly displayed prohibited symbols at the Melbourne protest in 2024,” AC Nutt said.
“Investigators have reviewed more than 100 hours of CCTV footage, police body-worn camera footage, and vision taken at the protest and will continue exploring every avenue to identify those involved.”
In December 2024, the AFP charged a separate 36-year-old Melbourne man for allegedly displaying a Hizballah flag during the same protest on 29 September.
The case follows new Commonwealth legislation introduced in January 2024 that prohibits the public display or trade of Nazi symbols and symbols associated with banned terrorist organisations. Hizballah was designated a terrorist organisation by the Australian government in December 2021.
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