Anzac Day dawn service marred by ‘horrific' outburst during Welcome to Country at Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance
There was an unfortunate disruption during a contemplative Anzac Day dawn service on Friday morning.
Booing and heckling rang out across the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne as a Welcome to Country was taking place.
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Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown was opening the service by paying respects to the traditional owners of Australia, and acknowledging their continuous and unbroken connection to country, when a voice in the crowd cried out: 'It's Australia.'
'Boo. Boo. What about the ANZACs?' the heckler yelled.
Similar sentiments were spewed from several members of the crowd at a number of other moments throughout the morning, as various speakers took the stage.
There was a group of about six to eight men who interrupted the ceremony, Sunrise understands.
They were standing close to the front of the crowd, so their voices were picked up by microphones and could be heard over speakers.
Far-right extremists were understood to be in the crowd, and phone footage from attendees captured a young man who can be heard saying that he is 'standing up for white Australia' and repeating the phrase 'Australia for the white man'.
The man can also be heard attempting to justify his comments by saying his beliefs were shared by Australia's diggers, declaring 'the Anzacs were racist'.
He can be seen smirking in the footage as shocked crowd members attempted to silence him, calling him 'ignorant' and telling him to 'shut up' and 'show some respect'.
Attendees described the outburst as concerning, and Sunrise host Nat Barr slammed it as 'disgusting'.
'It was horrific to have those people here booing, I though that was absolute disrespect,' one attendee told Sunrise.
Police have interviewed a 26-year-old man from Kensington about what they described as 'offensive behaviour' and will proceed with a summons. The man was asked to leave the Shrine of Remembrance, Victoria Police said.
Further north, in Sydney, rain fell on the cenotaph in Martin Place as dignitaries and representatives marked the 110th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli during World War I.
Former Air Force warrant officer and Aboriginal elder Harry Allie welcomed attendees to Gadigal country and touched on Indigenous Australians' history within the defence force.
'As Indigenous Australians were not of European descent, they were exempt from military service during the time of World War I,' he said.
'(But) it has been estimated that up to 1000, perhaps more, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people came forward to enlist ... it is not known what motivated Indigenous Australians to enlist but loyalty and patriotism without doubt played a part.'
New Zealand's contributions to the fighting forces were also marked, including through a performance of the traditional Maori hymn Song of Sorrow.
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