Police are probing whether an ex-ABC host broke the law by performing a Nazi salute on stage during a comedy skit.
Tom Ballard, an ABC regular and former Triple J radio host, was doing a routine at the Basement Comedy Club in Melbourne on Saturday night when he allegedly performed the salute repeatedly as part of his skit.
Some of the members filmed the moment before sharing the footage with the media.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said on Thursday they had video of the incident and were investigating although no complaints had been made.
‘Victoria Police is aware of a video depicting a man allegedly performing a Nazi salute during a comedy performance in Melbourne,’ she said.
‘At this stage we have not been made aware of any reports to police, however we are currently making enquiries about the incident.’
Victoria’s multicultural affairs minister Ingrid Stitt also warned Ballard could be in breach of state laws that ban the Nazi salute.
Aussie comedian Tom Ballard has been slammed by the Jewish community after performing what appeared to be a Nazi salute during a stand-up show (the moment is pictured)
While she said the gesture may have been intended to be comedic, there was ‘no place’ for Nazi salutes in Victoria.
‘I don’t know how anybody could find that funny in the current context,’ Ms Stitt said.
‘There’s no place for that kind of hatred, even when it’s in the context of comedy.’
‘It’s a fine line and I think that people need to be sensitive to the hurt that’s going on in the community and the real, genuine feelings of insecurity among some in our community at the moment.’
Nazi symbols and gestures were banned by the Victorian government in October 2023 to ‘send a clear message that Nazi ideology and the hate it represents is not tolerated’ in the state.
‘There are several exceptions to the offence, which include where the display is made reasonably and in good faith for genuine academic, religious, artistic, or educational purposes,’ the Victorian government website states.
Ballard’s bit started with him saying ‘you can’t do anything in Australia’ and that the position of a person’s hand when they waved a greeting at someone was central to whether they were breaking the law.
The comedian is known for his strong left-wing views and he is a vocal member and supporter of the Greens having performed fundraisers for the party.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said to use the gesture for laughs was to ‘desecrate’ the memory of Jews who died at the hands of the Third Reich.
‘Tom Ballard’s performance wasn’t comedy, it was cruelty disguised as humour,’ he said.
‘This wasn’t just a bad joke; it was a slap in the face to the victims, the Diggers who sacrificed their lives to defeat Hitler and to those who endured the atrocities of the Holocaust.
‘The Nazi salute is not edgy or funny, it’s a weapon of hate, emboldening neo-Nazis and white supremacists.’
Dr Abramovich has demanded an apology from the Basement Comedy Club, adding he was not out to censor comedy but that some topics were ‘too sacred’.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Basement Comedy Club and Ballard for comment.
