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<\/p>\nPolice have rejected a claim from anti-immigration rally March for Australia that an organiser was seriously assaulted by “Middle Eastern men” the day before Australia Day.<\/p>\n
ABC NEWS Verify investigated the claim, which was shared hundreds of times after being uploaded to the official March for Australia (MFA) Facebook page and other accounts.<\/p>\n
It was also shared on the personal social media accounts of MFA’s national organiser, Bec Walker, also known online as Bec Freedom.<\/p>\n
The post claimed the organiser of MFA’s Gold Coast rally, Michael Lockyer, was “jumped by a group of Middle Eastern men”. It included a photo of him lying on the ground with a bloodied face.<\/p>\n
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March for Australia posted this photo of Michael Lockyer to its social media accounts. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
“He was sitting on a public bench having a smoke when he was approached by a man of Middle Eastern appearance and his girlfriend,” it read.<\/p>\n
The post stated the two men ended up in a fight.<\/p>\n
“Michael defended himself, but unfortunately couldn’t do much when the attackers’ friends ran over and joined in the fight against Michael, making it several men against one,” it claimed.<\/p>\n
Queensland police told ABC NEWS Verify this was not correct.<\/p>\n
Do you know more? Contact ABC NEWS Verify.<\/a><\/p>\n They confirmed Mr Lockyer was involved in a fight on Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Sunday morning.<\/p>\n Police issued move-on directions to Mr Lockyer, as well as a 19-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man.<\/p>\n They said none of those involved were of Middle Eastern descent.<\/p>\n It is understood the man and woman involved instead appeared to be Caucasian, and no others were involved.<\/p>\n “The man sustained minor injuries during the altercation,” a police statement said.<\/p>\n “Police have not received any further reports of injuries.”<\/p>\n No-one has been charged over the incident.<\/p>\n Police confirmed an incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning in Surfers Paradise. (ABC News)<\/p>\n A witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ABC NEWS Verify the incident involved four people.<\/p>\n “There was a group of three, a couple and one other guy and [Michael] was on his own,” she said.<\/p>\n “We’d been told he threw the first punch, but I didn’t see it.<\/p>\n “Both parties kept walking away then screaming something at each other then going at it.”<\/p>\n When questioned by ABC NEWS Verify about the incident and social media posts over the phone, Mr Lockyer said the posts from Ms Walker and March for Australia were “accurate but I didn’t write them” and that it was “hard to pin down how many people were involved”.<\/p>\n Mr Lockyer said “at least two men and one woman” were involved and that he planned on making a report to police before he left the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n He stood by his claim they were Middle Eastern, but added they could also have been Mediterranean.<\/p>\n Police said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.<\/p>\n Do you know more?Email ABC NEWS Verify at ABCNEWSVerify@abc.net.au<\/a>If you require more secure communication, please choose an option on the confidential tips page<\/a>Hateful comments<\/p>\n The upload of these posts the evening before planned anti-immigration rallies provoked many comments on the March for Australia’s social media accounts, including its Facebook page \u2014 which has 35,000 followers.<\/p>\n Some of the comments were hateful and targeted migrants and people of Middle Eastern descent, with one user even calling for a second Cronulla riot.<\/p>\n Another said, “It’s time Australians went hunting in packs”, and a different post said, “This won’t go unanswered.”<\/p>\n The posts were re-shared by far-right accounts, and the topic was also listed as trending on social media platform X.<\/p>\n In her Sydney rally speech, Ms Walker doubled down, repeating the claim that Mr Lockyer was “gang-bashed by a bunch of Middle Easterners”.<\/p>\n Bec Walker doubled down on the claim when she addressed the Sydney rally on Australia Day. (ABC News)<\/p>\n “The cops \u2026 they didn’t care,” she said.<\/p>\n “They said that story being up is inciting hatred.<\/p>\n “Essentially saying that informing fellow Australians of violent and aggressive behavior to their people is inciting hatred,” she told the crowd.<\/p>\n ABC NEWS Verify has confirmed that advice was given about inaccuracies in a Facebook post, but Queensland police said they did not tell any individuals to remove a public post.<\/p>\n The posts remain online.<\/p>\n Mr Lockyer appeared at the Gold Coast’s Australia Day demonstration, wearing a hat and sunglasses.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/67e01e443ecb7c433d71ca5b46055fca.jpeg\")
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