One Nation has dropped its Victorian election candidate for Preston just days before voters head to the polls, after condemning social media posts that appeared to praise Adolf Hitler and question the Holocaust.
Franco Guardiani had been campaigning for Preston, about 9km north-east of Melbourne’s CBD, but his profile has since disappeared from One Nation’s candidate website.
Guardiani was previously endorsed by Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party for the 2018 Batman by-election, having earlier contested the former federal seat in 2013 and 2016 before joining One Nation.
The electorate once known as Batman was later renamed Cooper and is now represented by Labor frontbencher Ged Kearney.
One Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering confirmed on Tuesday that Guardiani had been removed over comments he said would cause profound offence to Jewish Australians.
‘At a time when Jewish Australians are facing unprecedented persecution, we are appalled that these comments were made,’ he told the ABC.
‘As soon as we became aware of them, we took action. Preston candidate Franco Guardiani is no longer a member of our party.
‘Anyone who holds views of this kind should understand that there is no place for them in One Nation.’
Franco Guardiani (pictured) has been removed from One Nation’s list of Victorian candidates
A social media account using Guardiani’s name posted comments questioning the Holocaust
The decision followed the circulation on Tuesday of a series of posts from a social media account bearing Guardiani’s name.
The posts described Hitler as the ‘GOAT’, meaning ‘greatest of all time’, while other comments appeared to cast doubt on the Holocaust. The material was later deleted after being reposted by other users.
In one exchange from December last year, the account replied to a post showing an image of Hitler with the words: ‘The people seem so happy.’
Responding to a post about young Americans who believed the Holocaust was a myth, the account wrote: ‘So only one in five have brains.’
This publication has contacted Guardiani and One Nation for comment.
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Guardiani later confirmed to the ABC on Tuesday afternoon that he was behind the social media accounts.
‘The party does what it believes is appropriate,’ he said, adding that he supported free speech and believed people should be allowed to express their opinions and question issues.
According to his candidate biography, Guardiani was born in Carlton to Italian migrant parents, runs a construction company and holds an Executive MBA.
His now-removed profile said he was campaigning to protect free speech, reduce migration to levels supported by existing infrastructure, and ease housing affordability and cost-of-living pressures.
Guardiani confirmed on Tuesday that the social media accounts belonged to him
Guardiani had been chosen to contest Preston, where Labor MP Nathan Lambert holds the seat by a margin of 2.1 per cent over the Greens.
However, One Nation’s decision to remove him came too late to prevent his name from appearing on the ballot paper.
Nominations closed this week and the ballot draw took place on Tuesday, meaning Guardiani will still be listed as One Nation’s Preston candidate even though the party has withdrawn its endorsement.
The only campaign video posted to Guardiani’s Facebook page showed him walking through local streets and presenting his case to voters.
‘I’m Franco Guardiani, One Nation’s candidate for Preston,’ he said in the video.
‘I understand the cost-of-living pressures and the high crime rate, particularly in Preston and Reservoir.
‘One Nation is here to tackle these problems. Our policies are designed to address all of these issues.’
The controversy comes as One Nation continues to record strong support in Victoria ahead of the election.
A Resolve Strategic poll released on Monday put the Coalition first on 30 per cent, followed by One Nation on 23 per cent and Labor on 22 per cent.
