One Nation removes Victorian candidate over social media praise for Hitler
Franco Guardiani has lost One Nation’s endorsement for Preston after the party confirmed social media posts praising Adolf Hitler and targeting Islam were genuine.
By Hassan Ellis ·
One Nation has withdrawn its endorsement of Victorian election candidate Franco Guardiani after learning that his private social media account had praised Adolf Hitler and published Islamophobic comments. Guardiani had been selected to contest Preston, but the party removed him shortly after being alerted to the posts on Tuesday morning, November 10.
In a response on X that has since been deleted, Guardiani used the acronym “GOAT” to describe Hitler. The term stands for greatest of all time. His reply appeared beneath a post inviting users to describe Hitler in a single word and asking them to be brutally honest in their answers.
The party said an official spoke with Guardiani about the material and confirmed that the posts were authentic. His disendorsement followed a short time after the party became aware of the comments. Guardiani’s name has also been removed from the list of One Nation candidates on its official website.
Warren Pickering, One Nation’s Victorian leader, condemned the comments and said Guardiani was no longer a member of the party. Pickering linked the party’s response to the treatment of Jewish Australians, saying: “At a time when Jewish Australians are experiencing unprecedented persecution, we are appalled that these comments have been made.”
Pickering said the party had acted as soon as it learned of the posts. He also warned that others holding similar views would not be welcome in One Nation. His statement addressed both the decision to remove Guardiani and the party’s position on anyone expressing such views.
The former candidate’s account also contained several comments targeting Islam. These included a claim that importing Islam was making paedophilia legal, alongside references to demolishing mosques with bulldozers or setting them alight. The account had also interacted with posts from the anti-immigrant group Kights Templar International.
How Guardiani’s social media history escaped scrutiny during candidate selection remains unclear. One Nation has said it devoted time and money to improving its vetting procedures, but the posts were not detected before he was selected as its candidate for Preston.
Guardiani has been approached for comment. The party’s confirmation that the posts were genuine came through its own official’s discussion with him before it withdrew his endorsement.
