Commentary
The Australian federal government is proceeding with plans to ban Nazi symbols. That’s fair enough, I suppose, if the ban is confined to just two images—the swastika and the double lightning bolt SS.
Such a prohibition might be unwelcome news to a few extremist motorcycle groups, but most of us share a reasoned detestation of those unambiguous marks of hatred.
But it could also be bad news for sociologists and historians unless the legislation is very meticulously and sensitively drafted.
The swastika has a long history in many diverse world cultures (including Hinduism and Buddhism) as a token of auspiciousness and good luck….