Save this article for later<\/p>\n
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n
Got it<\/p>\n
AAA<\/p>\n
Booing of the Welcome to Country has once again marred the solemnity of Melbourne\u2019s Anzac Day dawn service, while people gathering at an RSL sub-branch in Melbourne\u2019s north before dawn were confronted with anti-Anzac graffiti.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the dark at the Shrine of Remembrance on Saturday morning to honour Australia\u2019s servicemen and women.<\/p>\n
![\"Uncle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a43ee39434937e725ba3c3ea219e062af2662700.jpeg\")
Uncle Mark Brown, a Bunurong elder, at the Shrine\u2019s Welcome to Country ceremony. Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n
But when Bunurong Elder Mark Brown commenced his Welcome to Country, boos could be heard from the crowd amassed in the Shrine\u2019s forecourt. The booing continued throughout his speech and was picked up by microphones near the stage.<\/p>\n
Many people at the Shrine clapped in response to Brown\u2019s words, trying to oppose and drown out the booing noises.<\/p>\n
A small group of men again booed when Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner acknowledged the Bunurong people of the eastern Kulin nation at the start of her speech.<\/p>\n
![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/18a221ee3d6581bde956135bd98843b9f9932032.jpeg\")
At least one man booed during the Welcome to Country.Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n
Brown was also booed during the Welcome to Country at last year\u2019s Anzac Day dawn service,<\/a> with neo-Nazis among the hecklers.<\/p>\n Similar booing occurred on Saturday morning at Sydney\u2019s dawn service<\/a> at the Martin Place Cenotaph, where some crowd members displayed rowdy behaviour during an Acknowledgment of Country by Uncle Ray Minniecon.<\/p>\n In Melbourne\u2019s north, those gathering in solemn remembrance of the Anzacs were left distressed after offensive, anti-veteran rhetoric was sprayed in red paint near Reservoir\u2019s Cenotaph.<\/p>\n Slogans including \u201ckill the troops\u201d and \u201cf—k Anzacs\u201d were graffitied on the walls of the Reservoir RSL overnight, ahead of the commemorative service on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Reservoir RSL sub-branch secretary Anton Cabunilas said the \u201cdisgraceful\u201d graffiti was obviously intended to cause \u201churt, division and distress to veterans\u201d and their loved ones. But instead, those who gathered for the dawn service were further united to ensure the spirit of Anzac Day lives on, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who commit such acts should remember they enjoy the freedoms of this country because generations of Australian service men and women answered the call to serve, often at great personal cost,\u201d Cabunilas said.<\/p>\n Premier Jacinta Allan, who had earlier warned against booing, condemned the behaviour at the Shrine.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cToday we stand together united in that purpose of remembering the fallen, honouring their sacrifice. As well as those who came home and whose lives were changed forever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo break the stillness of Dawn Service is not just ugly behaviour towards our Aboriginal servicemen and women who defended this country \u2014 it disrespects everyone who fought for our freedoms.<\/p>\n \u201cPoliticising this sacred day is bastardry. I condemn it and so should every leader.\u201d<\/p>\n Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the interjections were a disgrace.<\/p>\n He said Welcome to Country was an \u201cinnately respectful act\u201d and many Indigenous Australians had also fought for their country.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s utterly appropriate that their particular contribution be recognised,\u201d Marles, who is also the minister for defence, told Sky News.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a moment where we can just show respect for each other, and I think the booing that we\u2019ve seen there is a disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said disturbing an Anzac Day service was an insult to Australia and its veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever your views on a Welcome to Country, Anzac Day is our most sacred day,\u201d he told Sky News.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many other ways in a free country that you have an opportunity to express your views. The least you can do is stay away or not disrupt an Anzac Day service.\u201d<\/p>\n New Zealand serviceman Steve Crawford sought out the Melbourne dawn service while on holidays, and called the booing behaviour \u201ca shame\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI had never seen that before, and I really didn\u2019t know what to make of it,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone has their own opinions about things, but I thought it was a shame really. It takes the shine away from what the day is about.\u201d<\/p>\n More to come<\/p>\n Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts<\/a> on email or turn on notifications in the app.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Slogans](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/09b55c11aa3ba82bcd04f0929d363b40e10dd4ba.jpeg\")
Slogans including \u201cf— the Anzacs\u201d and \u201cGallipoli – do it again\u201d were spray-painted before the dawn service at the Reservoir RSL. <\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8e6b276ce2d9a0a6ee101e802c3ae4ac75649646.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ff5f09da13718fc94a1a1869377439050ba5fb29.jpeg\")
A lone bagpiper welcomed the dawn from the roof of the Shrine. Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n![\"Most](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3e5bdc332aa38f9aaa694178734ef4e941e7fbb0.jpeg\")
Most of the crowd was respectful of the solemn occasion. Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n![\"Brittany](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/af71def990bb09f8d3ae9269dff8c75c2d45963c.png\")
Brittany Busch<\/a> is a federal politics reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 25, 2026 \u2014 7:45am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-628804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}