Disendorsement of Preston Candidate
One Nation has disendorsed its candidate for the seat of Preston, Franco Guardiani, three weeks ahead of the upcoming Victorian state election. The decision follows the discovery of social media posts in which Guardiani appeared to praise Adolf Hitler.
Victorian One Nation leader Warren Pickering confirmed the axing on Tuesday, stating that the party was "appalled" by the comments. Pickering emphasized that there is "no place in One Nation for abhorrent views," particularly during a period of what he described as unprecedented persecution for Jewish Australians.
The disendorsement comes after Guardiani shared footage of Nazi troops on social media, claiming that Allied forces were not heroes. In the same posts, he referred to Hitler as the "GOAT," an acronym for greatest of all time.
One Nation acted immediately to remove Guardiani from the ballot after the offensive comments related to the Holocaust became public. The party stated that the disendorsement was a direct response to these specific actions.
Previous Controversies and Political History
The removal of Guardiani marks the second recent instance of One Nation distancing itself from a Victorian candidate. In November, the party also saw Melbourne candidate Matthew Collins resign after he made "vulgar" comments on social media.
Pickering had previously highlighted Collins' posts at an anti-immigration rally in Melbourne, describing them as vulgar and not in the public interest. Collins subsequently issued a statement through the party, apologizing for his past comments and stating they were unacceptable and not reflective of who he is now.
Following his disendorsement, Guardiani told the ABC that "the party does what it sees fit." The controversy has drawn sharp criticism from political opponents. Labor MP Nathan Lambert called for One Nation to dump Guardiani if the allegations were true, stating there is no place for the horrific ideology of the Nazi Party in Victorian politics.
Guardiani’s political history extends beyond this recent incident. He previously ran for Clive Palmer’s United Party for the seat of Batman in 2013, where he picked up 2.53 per cent of the vote. At that time, he was described as the owner of an $8m concreting business.
Questions regarding Guardiani’s historical views surfaced earlier than the recent Hitler posts. In December last year, Guardiani questioned whether there was evidence that six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. These prior remarks contributed to the scrutiny that ultimately led to his removal from the Preston ballot.