Police seize neo-Nazi paraphernalia in series of raids across south-east Queensland

Queensland counter-terrorism police have charged three men in relation to the displaying of neo-Nazi material, after conducting raids on three separate addresses across south-east Queensland.

Police told Guardian Australia that officers had discovered a number of offensive banners, stickers and flyers after executing search warrants on residential addresses in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong, and Gold Coast suburbs of Pimpama and Oxenford.

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Police believe one of the banners seized, which contained a Nazi symbol and the words “Hitler was right”, was displayed on the Pacific Highway at Helensvale in November 2022.

It is alleged the men are responsible for a number of incidents involving offensive imagery being posted in public areas, causing damage to infrastructure and sparking community concern.

Police say a 21-year-old Toowong man has been charged with two counts of wilful damage and two counts of contravening storage measures and other precautions about access to restricted items.

A 20-year-old Pimpama man has been charged with two counts of wilful damage, and a 42-year-old Oxenford man has been charged with one count of wilful damage and one count of public nuisance.

All three are expected to appear in the Brisbane magistrates court on 28 February.

The Queensland government promised in May last year to ban the display of hate symbols by introducing legislation by the end of 2022, but have so far failed to do so.

“Nazism is evil,” the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said last year. “Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. These crimes are not harmless and nor is the ideology behind it.”