source : the age
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, veterans’ groups and Indigenous leaders have condemned the neo-Nazis who disrupted Melbourne’s flagship Anzac Day memorial service at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Convicted neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant led several men in a co-ordinated stunt of booing and heckling during Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown’s Welcome to Country, shattering the pre-dawn hush of the crowd.
Jacob Hersant was interviewed by police and will be charged at a later date.Credit: Getty Images
They heckled again during Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner’s address.
Each time a speaker thanked the traditional owners, the small but vocal group jeered from the middle of the crowd, their identities obscured by the darkness.
Other members of the crowd cheered and clapped the speakers as they tried to project their voices over the hecklers.
Victoria Police confirmed a 26-year-old Kensington man had been interviewed and released following the incident, and is expected to be charged with offensive behaviour.
Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown delivering the Welcome to Country at the dawn service.Credit: Getty Images
“There is no place in Australia for what occurred in Melbourne,” said Albanese in a statement released on Friday morning.
“A neo-Nazi disrupting Anzac day is abhorrent, un-Australian, and disgraceful. The people responsible must face the full force of the law.”
The men claimed to be protesting the Welcome to Country ceremonies on a day they said should be dedicated to Australian war veterans.
Indigenous soldiers have served in every conflict involving Australian defence contingents since 1901, according to the Australian War Memorial, including at least 70 who fought at Gallipoli.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a long and proud history of serving and sacrifice for this country,” said the Bunurong Land Council in a statement following the incident.
“We commend Uncle Mark Brown for his strength and determination. We thank the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and allies for their calls of support.
“The actions of a few this morning are abhorrent and do not deserve to take away any more from today.”
Hours later, a heckler shouted obscenities during a Welcome to Country at Perth’s dawn service in Kings Park.
Jeers rang out as Noongar elder and former soldier Di Ryder took to the podium for the traditional welcome. Crowd members quickly hushed the heckler.
At the Shrine in Melbourne, John Selleck said he had participated in Anzac Day commemorations for decades and was disappointed the event had been interrupted.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the incident at the Shrine was “beyond disrespectful”.
“A neo-Nazi disrupting this day is appalling – it has no place here,” she said in a statement.
“To boo the Aboriginal servicemen and women who served our nation shows ignorance, hatred, and a complete lack of respect – for them, and for everything Anzac Day stands for.”
Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australians should focus on the sacrifices of Anzac soldiers instead of the “deplorable” actions of an alleged neo-Nazi.
“What we saw was obviously terrible … but in a sense I don’t want to give that any more time than it deserves because this is a day to acknowledge those who have worn our nation’s uniform … and of course, the 103,000 Australians throughout our history who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Marles said on Nine’s Today.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the booing dishonoured the men and women who fought for Australia.Credit: Simon Schluter
RSL Victoria President Robert Webster condemned the behaviour and said the crowd’s support for the speakers far outweighed the small minority of hecklers.
“The actions of a handful were completely disrespectful to the Aboriginal community, veterans, and the spirit of Anzac Day. In response, the spontaneous applause from the 50,000-strong crowd attending the service drowned out those who disrupted, and showed the respect befitting of the occasion,” he said in a statement.
Co-chairs of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Rueben Berg and Ngarra Murray, reiterated the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“We stand in solidarity with Bunurong elder, Uncle Mark Brown, and acknowledge his strength and resolve during the disruption,” they said in a statement.
Last year, Hersant became the first person in Victoria convicted for performing the now-outlawed Nazi salute. Local neo-Nazis have been documented recruiting aggressively among young men and boys in Australia.
With Nick Newling and Jesinta Burton
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