Australians Booed at Anzac Day Commemoration Services

The Anzac Day Dawn Services in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide have been marred by booing during the Welcome to Country acknowledgment.

When booing rang out as Uncle Ray Minniecon delivered the Acknowledgement of Country he knew he needed to remain composed. The jeers could be heard for more than a minute as Uncle Ray spoke at Saturday’s service in Sydney — with similar scenes playing out during the Welcome to Country in Melbourne and Perth.

“Part of your military training is just to go through any kind of conflict, or any kind of tension that’s there, and just do what you need to do,” Minniecon later told the ABC, and said he had noticed racism toward First Nations people escalate in the wake of the 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum.

In the lead up to Anzac Day, anti-immigration and nationalist group Fight For Australia posted a video of Bunurong man Uncle Mark Brown being booed while delivering the Welcome to Country at last year’s dawn service in Melbourne. RSL Australia president Peter Tinley said they had been aware of the post but there was little the organisation could do, and said the organisation was also investigating reports that veterans were among those who booed.

“A lot of these cenotaphs and memorials are at public places,” Tinley said. “If it gets any worse, potentially [hecklers] may have to be removed and we will stop ceremonies if we have to. And that will be a sad day.”