Italian restaurant cancels Pauline Hanson event following protest threats
Updated ,first published
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and MP Barnaby Joyce arrived at a fundraiser in Melbourne’s inner suburbs after the venue that was originally supposed to host the political party pulled out on Friday.
Anti-racist protesters planning to rally against the far-right party dispersed due to the late change of venue, and a planned protest outside the original Moonee Ponds venue fell through as news of the new venue began to filter out.
Victoria Police confirmed that Italian restaurant Giorgio Casa in Moonee Ponds, which was to host the cocktail party on Friday night, canceled the event for the day. Police said they were not aware of any threats to the venue.
Outside the reserve venue in Melbourne’s inner suburbs, Hanson targeted Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. whose leadership is under threat due to recent anonymous rumors We’re talking about a potential challenge.
“Look, the people will have their say in the next election,” Hanson said. “I think it’s very important. He will be judged on his performance as the premier of the state. But what I see here… He will fight to keep his seat, to even keep his seat, and I’ve heard rumors that they will remove him before the election.”
When Hanson and Joyce arrived, although there was a single protester outside the exchange area, Joyce noted the strong police presence and decried the need for so much security. “So I thought we were coming to Melbourne and not Pyongyang,” he said. “This is a political debate. People are allowed to engage in it. We’re a free nation and you know… that lady is allowed to scream like crazy. But don’t threaten people because this isn’t Australia.”
The event will mark the end of a fundraising blitz for One Nation.
Earlier in the day, Joyce had told a radio station that the left, which party members accused of trying to violate the rights of parliamentarians, wanted to walk the streets “undisturbed”.
“This is the home of the AFL and the seminal for that is our right and our freedom of political debate. And if we fail to achieve that, we are losing what Australia is,” he said. “This is ridiculous. If Carlton fans can hang around with Collingwood fans and they can both go to a pub and talk to Essendon fans, then why can’t we have a political event in Melbourne?”
Similar One Nation fundraisers held in other Australian cities this week were met with protests, including Perth, where hundreds of people held banners condemning racism and the party.
Groups such as No Room for Racism, Victorian Socialists and Free Palestine Melbourne had planned to gather near the Melbourne fundraiser 45 minutes before they began “taking Hanson out”. Some far-right figures online had talked about sending their own groups to defend the event.
The fundraiser was billed as “an exclusive evening… and networking event” with One Nation’s senior leaders to bring together “business leaders, community figures and supporters seeking a stronger direction for Victoria”.
Victorian Socialist candidate and rally organizer Omar Hassan said protesters had “watched with horror as this far-right, racist party gained support and prominence” but would now “seize our chance to take strong action and let the world know that a party bought and paid for by Gina Rinehart, who voted against wage increases, supported devastating wars abroad and bigotry at home, was not welcome in Melbourne.”
“If Hanson and Joyce are too cowardly to come tonight, then we will claim this as a victory against racism and billionaires,” Hassan said.
Moonee Valley Mayor Rose Iser said she was glad the event was not held at Moonee Ponds. “Moonee Valley has welcomed generations of immigrants who fled the horrors of war in Europe, Asia and Africa to provide their children and grandchildren with a peaceful lifestyle in Australia,” he said.
“I welcome business owners to use common sense and that this type of hatred and division is not welcome in Moonee Ponds or Moonee Valley.”
Melbourne has a particular history of protests against One Nation. In 1996, the year Hanson was first elected to the federal parliament, tens of thousands of people packed the Treasury Gardens to oppose the Queensland senator’s anti-immigration rhetoric (including his infamous declaration that Australia was “drowned by Asians”).
When Hanson officially launched the One Nation party at Dandenong Town Hall in 1997, protests outside the venue turned violent as demonstrators threw rotten fruit and bottles at party supporters and clashed with police.
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Sherryn Groch is a journalist covering crime for The Age. Email her at s.groch@nine.com.au or contact her securely on Signal @SherrynG.70.Connect with: X or email.
