In a Sydney courtroom this week, Australia's highest court is weighing a question that has haunted liberal democracies since the Cold War: where does the state's power to protect society end and its power to silence dissent begin? A banned neo-Nazi organization, rebranded as the White Australia party, is challenging the constitutionality of laws that criminalize mere membership, arguing that placing such sweeping authority in a minister's hands — without judicial oversight — crosses a line the constitution was drawn to hold. The outcome may define not just the fate of one extremist group, but
Neo-Nazi party challenges Australia hate ban as 'authoritarian' at high court
Party leader Tom Sewell was sentenced to community corrections including 200 hours of community work for using racial slurs and emulating Nazi behavior in public.