Despite federal legislation enacted in 2023 that criminalized the display and trade of items bearing prohibited symbols like the Nazi Hakenkreuz (swastika) and the double-sig rune of the Schutzstaffel (SS), a concerning number of Nazi-era artefacts continue to be openly sold online in Australia. Vendors engaged in this trade often justify their actions by citing “educational” or “research purposes,” exploiting exemptions within the law that permit such displays for religious, academic, educational, artistic, literary, or scientific reasons. This practice persists even though several states had already implemented similar prohibitions on Nazi symbols and the Nazi salute prior to the federal mandate.
An investigation by Guardian Australia revealed numerous Australian online sellers of military antiques listing German military items that clearly originate from the Nazi era and feature the outlawed symbols. These items encompass a wide range, including helmets, badges, medals, officer’s caps, and flags. Among these vendors are long-standing dealers of military collectibles, some of whom have specialized in Nazi memorabilia. For instance, Kurt Coleman Military Antiques, a business located in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region, was found to have an extensive inventory of Nazi-era German military and related items on its website. Their listings included military booklets, pins, badges, rings, officer’s tunics, officer’s caps, and weaponry, all visibly adorned with swastikas and other Nazi imagery. Pricier items included a white porcelain vase with an embossed Nazi eagle for $2,500, a 2-meter by 3.5-meter Nazi warship “battle flag” for $2,000 (though out of stock), and a German Hitler Youth knife for $1,820. While the website’s landing page broadly advertised “ALWAYS BUYING Military Antiques Medals, Militaria, Edged Weapons,” its search engine optimization title explicitly stated “Nazi Militaria For Sale, German Militaria, WW2 Militaria, Nazi Medals Australia,” indicating a deliberate focus on these prohibited items. The website also carried a disclaimer asserting that all items were for “educational purposes only,” and that the seller did not endorse any political ideology, presenting the items solely as historical artifacts. This particular website has been operational for at least a year, with an associated eBay page active since 2019, having facilitated approximately 44,000 sales over that period, including German war-related items alongside other antiques.
Another significant seller, Henry’s Military Collectibles, based in Western Australia, also offered a variety of German Nazi-era military items, such as war merit crosses, belt buckles, and a Luftschutz (civil air defense) helmet. Interestingly, the listing images for these items often showed stickers obscuring the prohibited symbols. Henry’s Military Collectibles maintains a website disclaimer stating that it exclusively deals in products with historical value for collectors, museums, and research purposes, explicitly disavowing any association with National Socialism, the Third Reich, political parties, or military organizations, and requesting that individuals with such associations leave the website. Prior to the federal ban, owner Henry Fijolek had informed Guardian Australia that Nazi items were consistently “strong sellers” and were never sold to “Nazi sympathisers.” Fijolek, a former Australian Army officer with 37 years of service, including 17 years posted to the Australian Army History unit, expressed his belief that he was operating within legal boundaries. He emphasized his commitment to trading within the allowed scope and his view that history, regardless of its content, should never be eradicated as it serves an important educational function for the future.
The Australian federal police have acknowledged engaging with various auction houses regarding the sale and public display of items containing prohibited symbols, though they refrained from confirming details of ongoing assessments and investigations. They underscored the importance of public awareness regarding legal obligations concerning the display and trade of such items. Associate Professor Romain Fathi, a military historian at the Australian National University, highlighted the long-standing practice of collecting military and war-related objects, but cautioned that these objects are “not neutral.” He explained that the same object can carry vastly different meanings depending on who possesses it and their motivations. While military objects have historically been used for propaganda, they can also serve as crucial historical records, offering a critical vector of historical knowledge when contextualized, analyzed, and critiqued. However, Fathi warned that collecting militaria becomes problematic when it stems from a genuine attraction to war and violence. He differentiated Nazi or Third Reich collecting from other historical periods, stating, “These objects are not playthings, they are objects of death, by a regime characterised by death. When individuals find power and fascination in them, that becomes very dangerous.” He further elaborated on the ethical distinctions, noting that while a Jewish or Holocaust Museum acquiring Nazi paraphernalia for contextualizing and evidencing genocide carries deep moral and ethical significance, the same act by a far-right activist, typically male, would be deeply problematic and indicative of sympathies dangerous to democratic societies. This ongoing trade and the justifications behind it pose a significant challenge to the intent of the legislation designed to curb the proliferation of hate symbols.
