Military veterans remanded for unfurling Nazi flag outside a Sydney pub
Two military veterans faced court this week charged with publicly displaying a Nazi symbol without reasonable excuse outside the Darlo Bar in inner Sydney.
Charles Mark Cameron and Craig Jason Elston unveiled the flag at the bar which is only 90m from the Sydney Jewish Museum Jewish museum.
The pair was arrested at a second bar about an hour later.
Legal Aid lawyer Elliot Rowe, who is defending Cameron, told the court that his client viewed the decision as regrettable.
"(He) wishes to place on the record that he is not a person who holds any antisemitic views," Rowe told the court.
"In the current climate this is an extremely serious offence."
Cameron served 20 years in the Australian Defence Force before being medically discharged with PTSD.
Elston, also a military veteran and a collector of war memorabilia. The court heard he was "excited" to show off his latest acquisition, a German Nazi swastika flag, which involved pulling it from a bag and unfurling it at a table outside the bar.
"He ... became excited that he had received it and that it would form part of his private collection," Rowe said.
"It was a big mistake."
Rowe said neither man held antisemitic views.
The two men were remanded in custody just hours after federal parliament passed legislation introducing minimum one-year jail terms for such acts. However, the new federal law is yet to receive assent, meaning the men were charged under existing NSW legislation, which carries a maximum one-year sentence.
Magistrate Greg Grogin denied bail for one of the men, identified as Cameron, citing concerns for community safety. "As a former member of the ADF, one would think he would be acutely aware of the actions like these can promote," Magistrate Grogin stated. He added, "If he's willing to do it once, there is an unacceptable risk he may be willing to do it again."
Following the decision, Elston withdrew his bail application and pleaded guilty. Both men will remain in custody until February 21, when Elston is scheduled to be sentenced.
The incident comes as NSW grapples with a surge in antisemitic activity, including graffiti, firebombings, and a recently thwarted plot targeting Jewish sites. The state government announced yesterday it will introduce tougher penalties and new related offences, with legislation expected to go before parliament next week.
Jonathan Jackson, 12th February 2025
