Police have seized five posters from Civic bar Dissent as part of an investigation into possible hate imagery under newly enacted Commonwealth legislation.

Police said they received a complaint earlier this week about possible hate imagery displayed at a licensed premises in Civic.

Officers attended Dissent on Wednesday afternoon and spoke with the owner, seeking to remove the posters as part of their investigation. The owner declined the request and a crime scene was established.

Five posters were subsequently seized and will be assessed under recently enacted Commonwealth legislation relating to hate symbols. Police said inquiries were continuing, including seeking legal advice on the legality of the material.

The Greens condemned the action, describing it as a “raid” on a local Canberra bar and raising concerns about the impact of new federal hate speech laws.

Greens Senator and justice spokesperson David Shoebridge said: “Labor’s first scalp under their new hate laws isn’t a Nazi group, it’s a Canberra bar with an anti-fascist poster.

“Laws rushed through parliament to fight antisemitism are now being used to attack people fighting fascism.”

The ACT Greens spokesperson for Anti-Racism and Democracy and Integrity said Dissent appeared to have become “the first target of the Albanese Government’s rushed and harmful hate speech legislation”.

“Art has always played a vital role in protest and political expression,” the spokesperson said.

Police said investigations into the posters were ongoing.