Damien Richardson ordered to visit Holocaust Museum after Nazi salute conviction

Former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson has been ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work and visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum following a failed appeal against his conviction for performing a Nazi salute.

Richardson, 57, performed the gesture in September 2024 while speaking at a National Workers Alliance gathering in Melbourne. He had argued the gesture was intended as “political satire” or for an “artistic purpose,” but Judge Kate Hawkins upheld the guilty verdict, stating the act was offensive, harmful, and illegal.

The judge noted that Richardson is a “person of influence” and that the court must send a clear message regarding such conduct. While a previous restorative justice program involving psychological counseling and shadowing a Jewish leader was initially ordered, the judge replaced it with the current sentence due to logistical limitations in overseeing the original scheme.