A 24-year-old man has been arrested after heckling an Aboriginal elder during the Anzac Day dawn service at Martin Place in Sydney. The man was charged with committing a nuisance on a war memorial and bailed to appear in court in June.
Uncle Ray Minniecon, a Kabi-Kabi and Gurang-Gurang elder, was delivering the acknowledgment of country when a small group booed. The interruption was met with prolonged applause and cheers from the crowd in support of Minniecon.
Minniecon told the ABC that the hecklers needed to understand 'this always was and always will be Aboriginal land'. He described the incident as part of a 'whitefella problem' that has persisted for over 230 years.
RSL NSW acting president Vincent Williams called the booing 'the most appalling act I’ve ever seen at a dawn service'. NSW Premier Chris Minns noted that the crowd's spontaneous applause for Minniecon made clear the views of the vast majority.
Similar disruptions occurred at services in Melbourne and Perth. In Melbourne, Uncle Mark Brown's welcome to country was drowned out by applause, while in Perth, Whadjuk and Noongar elder Di Ryder was heckled. RSL Victoria president Mark Schroffel described those who booed as 'weak-minded individuals'.
Indigenous academic Marcia Langton called for the disruptors to be named and banned from future services. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the booing was 'deeply disappointing', while the acting chief of army, Major General Richard Vagg, labelled it 'disgraceful behaviour'.
