The Anzac Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne was marked by disruption as welcome to country ceremonies were met with booing from some attendees. This marks the second consecutive year that such incidents have occurred.
Group Denies Organisation Despite Social Media Post
An anti-immigration group has claimed it did not organise the booing at welcome to country ceremonies during Anzac Day dawn services, despite a social media post that asked followers 'how loud will you be this year?' The booing, carried out by rightwing groups, targeted Indigenous elders delivering welcome to country speeches, sparking renewed public debate about the role of such ceremonies at public events.
Uncle Ray Minniecon, an Indigenous elder and former armed forces member who was booed while giving an acknowledgment of country at Sydney's dawn service, described the experience as 'unexpected and unnecessary, but it happens.' He expressed bewilderment at the hostility, asking, 'Why do people hate us so much? What crime did we commit?'
Fight for Australia's Role
Opposition to welcome to country ceremonies was encouraged by Fight for Australia, described by its leader as the 'sister group' of March for Australia, which has organised major anti-immigration rallies across the country. Guardian Australia reported that Fight for Australia had urged supporters to contact local RSL branches to request the exclusion of welcomes to country from Anzac Day ceremonies.
On Friday, the group posted 'Will you be booing the welcome to country this year?' alongside a video of Melbourne's 2025 Anzac Day ceremony, where Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown was booed by members of the National Socialist Network. The video included superimposed text reading 'how loud will you be this year?'
March for Australia has 36,000 followers on its main Facebook page and a community group with 21,000 members. The organiser of both groups, known as 'Bec Freedom' (identified as Bec Walker in other media), has 35,000 Facebook followers and nearly 8,000 on X. Fight for Australia, launched only recently, has smaller followings of 350 on Facebook and 242 on X. These pages share similar content and cross-post regularly.
Group's Response
Bec Freedom claimed her group did not organise the booing but did not apologise for the activity. 'I'd like to refute that this was a campaign organised by either myself or FightForAustralia/MarchForAustralia. We simply put a few posts up asking people if they would be booing this year due to the amount of grassroots public interest on this topic. But yes, I stand by the content I put out about it,' she said.
She argued that people booed 'to show we aren't happy with woke rituals taking place at one of our most solemn days in Australia.' When asked if it was disrespectful to boo at dawn services or to boo ex-servicepeople like Minniecon, she responded: 'I'd say it is disrespectful to perform woke WTC/ATC on our soldiers' sacred day.' WTC/ATC refers to welcome to country and acknowledgment of country. She added, 'The ceremony itself is what was being targeted with the booing, we appreciate everyone's efforts and service in the army.'
Police Intervention
People connected to March for Australia posted footage online showing police in Perth approaching five people and preventing them from attending the dawn service. Police told them, 'Due to your association with the March for Australia group and their actions in the eastern states, you are being removed from the ceremony due to the belief you will interrupt it.' Western Australian police confirmed they removed 15 individuals identified as members of 'issue motivated groups,' but no arrests were made.
Political Reactions
Uncle Ray Minniecon noted increased hostility towards Indigenous Australians since the defeat of the Voice referendum in 2023, which was opposed by a national margin of 59-41. 'All we're saying is that you're on our country, in our land, just acknowledge it and respect whose land you're on. It's not that difficult to understand,' he told Sky News.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor condemned the booing as 'inappropriate and un-Australian' but claimed Indigenous acknowledgments were often 'overused,' saying he would like to see them used less to avoid being 'devalued.' His remarks echoed those of former Liberal leader Peter Dutton, who condemned booing but described welcomes to country as 'overdone' during the 2025 election campaign.
Greens leader Larissa Waters called the booing 'utterly disgraceful,' noting that many Indigenous people have served in the defence force. Liberal shadow treasurer Tim Wilson labelled it 'unacceptable, disrespectful and unworthy of the Anzac legacy.' One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said he did not condone booing but opposed welcomes to country at dawn ceremonies, stating, 'I think people who have served our nation, who signed on the dotted line, they don't need to be welcomed to their country.'
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles described the booing as 'disgraceful' and highlighted the history of Indigenous Australians serving in the armed forces. 'Welcome to country is just a respectful thing to do. It's respectful at public events and it's respectful on Anzac Day. And Anzac Day is a day on which we show respect, and to have booing in the face of that is profoundly disrespectful and goes against all that Anzac Day stands for,' he said on ABC radio.
