13 hours agoSun 28 Dec 2025 at 12:13am

Police reviewed photographs of the man taken by a beachgoer. (Supplied: Ben Parsons)

In short:

A 36-year-old man is charged with displaying tattoos allegedly depicting designated "Nazi hate symbols".

The man was reported to police on Christmas Eve, prompting an investigation by local detectives and police from Operation Shelter, which is overseeing the Bondi terror attack response.

What's next?

The man is on strict conditional bail and due in court on January 22.

A man has been charged for allegedly displaying what police have called "hate symbol" tattoos at a beach in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Newcastle man Ben Parsons was at Bar Beach with his family on Christmas Eve when he said he became concerned by the man's tattoos, in particular one that appeared to be an SS Schutzstaffel symbol.

The SS was the Nazi organisation's elite guard that carried out some of the worst atrocities in World War II, especially against Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Mr Parsons took photos of the man and made a report to Crime Stoppers.

The man allegedly displayed antisemitic tattoos at a Newcastle beach on Christmas Eve. (Supplied: Ben Parsons)

On Friday, police told the ABC local detectives and Operation Shelter, overseeing the response to the Bondi terror attack, would review the photographs, as part of its investigations.

Today, police said in a media release, a 36-year-old man had been charged last night for displaying "tattoos [that] allegedly depicted designated hate symbols".

The statement confirmed the man was arrested at a home in Urunga, south of Coffs Harbour and taken to the police station.

"He was charged with knowingly displaying by public act Nazi symbol without excuse and cause prohibited Nazi symbol to be displayed in public place," police said in the statement.

That public place was Bar Beach, popular with tourists and locals.

Bar Beach is popular with tourists, surfers, swimmers and families. (ABC: Aaron Kearney)

The state government introduced laws criminalising the display of Nazi symbols in August 2022, banning the knowing display of Nazi symbols in public.

In November this year, the laws were strengthened with new Nazi conduct and symbol offences introduced after an antisemitic rally outside parliament.

Section 93Z of the Crimes Act defines a public act as any form of communication or any conduct, including the wearing or display of signs, flags, emblems and insignia observable by the public. 

Premier weighs in

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the types of tattoos prohibited were covered by the government's expanded hate law legislation.

"I mean absolutely, I mean it would be self-evidently ridiculous that it would be illegal to put a Nazi symbol on your bed sheet, but you can put it on your body," he said.

Mr Minns also took aim at tattooists who ink people with so-called hate slogans.

"There is no place for it, and as far as people who are propagating that or responsible for tattooing it, they should be ashamed of themselves,"

he said.

"We are going to do everything we can to stamp out hate in our community, and I am glad that arrest has been done."

The man was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear in Newcastle Court on January 22.