Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed those who interrupted Welcome to Country ceremonies during dawn services in Melbourne and Perth, claiming they must ‘face the full force of the law’.
Mr Albanese described heckling incidents during the Welcome to Country messages during the Anzac Day ceremonies on Friday morning as ‘disgraceful’.
‘There is no place in for what occurred,’ he told reporters in Canberra.
‘The disruption of Anzac Day is beyond contempt, and the people responsible must face the full force of the law. This was an act of low cowardice on a day when we honour courage and sacrifice.
‘Anzac Day is when we come together to remember all those who have served our country in war and the cause of peace, including those who continue to serve our nation today.’
Tens of thousands gathered to pay their respects to soldiers past and present at Melbourne’s Anzac Day Dawn Service on Friday morning.
When a group of protesters began to boo during Bunurong elder Mark Brown’s Welcome to Country, outraged attendees quickly drowned them out with cheers in protest.
In a video recorded at the service, one heckler can be heard telling the crowd: ‘ is for the white man.’
Surrounding audience members ordered the heckler to be silent.
‘Our son is fighting, mate’, one woman said.
‘Shut your mouth and show your respects,’ another said.
The young man smirked before repeating: ‘ is for the white man.’
‘The country was federated on white ,’ he added.
After being accused of being racist, the man said: ‘The Anzacs fought for a white . The Anzacs were racist.’
Another attendee then told him he was ‘disturbing the peace’, before a woman yelled: ‘There were black diggers at Anzac Cove, mate.’
Some time later, he was escorted away from the crowd by two men dressed in military uniforms while attendees applauded.
Jacob Hersant, a prominent neo-Nazi figure, was allegedly among those loudly booing.
‘This is a day for the Anzacs, it’s not for Aboriginals,’ he told media after the service.
Hersant was spoken to by police and escorted from the service and it was understood he did not perform a Nazi salute, despite some reports.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police told Daily Mail a 26-year-old man from Kensington was directed to leave the area following the disruption.
Police have interviewed him for ‘offensive behaviour’ and will proceed via a summons.
Daily Mail is not suggesting Mr Hersant was the individual identified by Victoria Police.
Meanwhile, WA Police have appealed for information following a lone heckling incident at the King’s Park Dawn service on Friday morning.
That incident is believed to have involved a single heckler who yelled obscenities during a welcome by Noongar Elder and veteran Di Ryder.
A spokesperson for WA Police said: ‘Shortly before 6.00am during yesterday’s ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Kings Park, an unknown man was heard yelling during the proceedings.
‘Bystanders asked the man to refrain from yelling, and no further disturbance occurred. The man left the scene shortly afterwards.
‘The ANZAC Day service is a solemn commemoration, and any disorderly behaviour at such commemorations will not be tolerated by police.
‘Inquiries are ongoing.’
A number of political and media figures have joined the Prime Minister in condemning the disruptions, including Sunrise host Natalie Barr who described the Melbourne incident as ‘disgusting’.
‘Save your protests,’ she said.
‘We do not care what you are sick of. Today is not the day to share it.’