Man who allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag at pro-Palestine protest to face court

The 34-year-old Broadmeadows man was the second person to face legal penalties for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag in public after another man was charged in September 2024.

Both men allegedly waved the flags through Melbourne city streets at a pro-Palestine protest on September 29, 2024, police said.

The Commonwealth designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in December 2021.

Designating an organisation as 'terrorist' requires that it "directly or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering the doing of a terrorist act" or advocated for acts of terror.

Publicly displaying the flag of an organisation such as Hezbollah was prohibited in January 2024 and carries a maximum penalty of 12 months imprisonment.

The display of Nazi symbols is also prohibited under the same laws.

"The [Australian Federal Police] is relentlessly pursuing evidence and identifying those who allegedly displayed prohibited symbols at the Melbourne protest in 2024," assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said.

"Investigators have reviewed more than 100 hours of CCTV footage, police body worn camera footage and vision taken at the Melbourne protest and will continue exploring every avenue to identify those involved."

The 34-year-old was served with a notice for the offence of public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol on February 6.

He has been summoned to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on March 19.