<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A former Australian soap star has been instructed to reach out to the Jewish community to apologise for performing a Nazi salute in public.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ex-</span><em><span>Neighbours</span></em><span> actor Damien Richardson, 56, was last month found guilty of intentionally performing the gesture while delivering a speech at a ticketed event.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He attended Moorabbin Magistrates Court today for a pre-sentence hearing, supported by his mother and others.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://press.nine.com.au/item/3c563f34-9ada-4e10-aa7d-1bbf996eefce" rel="" target="" title="Bruce Lehrmann's Tasmanian car theft charges downgraded"><strong><span>Bruce Lehrmann's Tasmanian car theft charges downgraded</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richardson, a former political candidate, was delivering a speech at Urban St restaurant in Melbourne's southeast in September 2024 when he made a Nazi salute.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The offence can carry a fine of up to $23,000 or 12 months in jail, however magistrate Justin Foster today said he wanted to inquire about whether "restorative justice" was a more appropriate punishment for Richardson.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A true Nazi supporter is not going to go to the Holocaust museum, speak to a survivor and potentially write a letter of apology to the Jewish community," he told the court.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/soap-star-neighbours-actor-damien-richardson-nazi-salute/04677cba-815c-4e4e-b732-a29a99fe088e" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There needs to be a bit of restorative justice in this case towards the Jewish community."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He asked Richardson's lawyer to reach out to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry about preparing a court-enforceable letter of apology for his actions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That might be the best way forward for some restorative justice, if not agreed to there are other options on the table," Foster said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The magistrate said the letter could be used as part of a six to 12-month adjourned undertaking of good behaviour.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Foster had queried whether Richardson understood the impact of his actions on the Jewish community.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There is a massive failure of leadership in this country in relation to protecting the Jewish community," Foster said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I want a bit of understanding being shown by your client and to convey that to the Jewish community."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Defence lawyer Peter Monagle said it was not Richardson's intention to hurt the Jewish community and agreed to make calls as the matter was stood down until this afternoon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richardson's speech was to a gathering of the National Workers Alliance, and a transcript of the event revealed they planned to discuss "the undermining of Western Culture".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Members of neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network were in the crowd as Richardson spoke.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richardson discussed how there was a "war on men" and "war on Western tradition, Western values" in the speech, which was live-streamed to social media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He then complained about </span><em><span>The Age</span></em><span> masthead likening him "to Adolf Hitler" before performing the Nazi gesture.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Am I allowed to do that?" he told the group.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Am I gonna be fined? Am I going to jail for five years? Oh, Richardson did the salute. I mean this is absurd. This is insane. It's crazy."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Monagle had argued at a contested hearing the gesture was performed for genuine "artistic or theatrical purposes" as his client was a former actor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The defence lawyer today said Richardson had "no means of income" as he had lost his NDIS accreditation because of the offending.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/one-shot-dead-two-injured-shooting-in-nsw-northeastman-remains-on-the-run/a5e45b85-75bf-4192-8531-e0a258148712" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Detectives point to possible motive behind deadly shooting</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He claimed Richardson had performed the salute in the context of being slammed by The Age for fascist idealism.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There was no Nazi fascist underlying motive in what he did," Monagle said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He believed he was exercising a right to answer back to </span><em><span>The Age</span></em><span> in a satirical way."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Foster replied: "He's chosen an incredibly poor way to do that."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The hearing will resume at 2pm.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-electricity-prices/7b7b09de-7fd9-4e41-ac46-23b63631bbf3" rel="" target="" title="Electricity prices in Australia could rise by up to 20 per cent"><strong><span>Electricity prices in Australia could rise by up to 20 per cent</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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