Canberra Man Fined Over Neo-Nazi Stickers at ANU, Faces Possible Jail for Nazi Salutes

A Canberra man who plastered white supremacist stickers across an Indigenous education centre at the Australian National University (ANU) has been fined $5,000 and is now facing the possibility of imprisonment after admitting to performing Nazi salutes in public.

Zachary James Hook, who was 18 at the time of the offences, pleaded guilty to offensive behaviour on Commonwealth premises after placing stickers promoting the National Socialist Network and other white supremacist slogans around the university’s Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre on two occasions in 2025.

The ACT Magistrates Court heard that Hook displayed stickers across the ANU campus in August and September last year, carrying messages including “National Socialist Network,” “Australia for the white man,” and “White revolution is the only solution.”

Court documents revealed the stickers were attached to a poster promoting multiculturalism as well as a cabinet and door within the university’s Black, Indigenous and People of Colour department building.

While the offensive behaviour charge carries a maximum penalty of $6,600, Hook’s legal troubles are far from over. He has also admitted to performing the Nazi salute twice in public, an offence introduced under Commonwealth legislation in 2024 that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 12 months.

The court was told his ultimate penalty could be more severe when the matter is referred to the ACT Supreme Court next month for further consideration.

During sentencing, Magistrate James Lawton described Hook’s actions as serious, targeted and clearly offensive. He noted that social media had “no doubt had an impact” on the young man’s behaviour.

Lawton rejected any suggestion that the conduct could be dismissed as simple protest activity, emphasising that the actions were directed at a specific community and location.

The case has attracted broader attention amid increasing scrutiny of extremist activity in Australia. The National Socialist Network, a neo-Nazi organisation, was banned earlier this year under federal hate speech laws and is currently challenging that decision before the High Court.

The matter highlights Australia’s ongoing efforts to combat hate-based extremism and the growing legal consequences for displaying or promoting Nazi symbols and ideology in public.