Anti-immigrant protester breaks into Modi's Melbourne hotel, raises slogans
Just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Australia, a far-right anti-immigrant activist breached security at his Melbourne hotel and raised slogans. The same protester resurfaced the next day outside PM Modi's diaspora event, where his demonstration was drowned out by music and cheering crowds.
A far-right anti-immigrant protester "heckled" Prime Minister Narendra Modi with abuse-laced slogans after gatecrashing a Melbourne hotel, just hours after the Indian leader arrived in Australia for a two-day visit on Wednesday, according to reports. The same individual later attempted to disrupt Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on Thursday. However, he was drowned out by the music being played by the festive attendees, and was forced to leave.
In a clip shared on social media, the protester — identified as Hugo Lennon, who operates online under the persona "Auspill" — was seen yelling at PM Modi as he arrived on a red carpet in the hotel lobby. "F*** Modi!" he screamed from the floor above, where a large crowd had gathered. "This is Australia. No more Indians. We don't want any more migration. This country is for Australians," Lennon was heard shouting.
Police quickly swarmed Lennon and dragged him away from the first-floor balcony overlooking the lobby as he continued hurling slogans. Police declined to answer questions about how Lennon knew the PM's location or how close he got to Modi. But the Australia-based newspaper Sydney Morning Herald later reported that, "some far-right influencers had shared knowledge online of Modi's movements around the city during his visit."
A spokesperson for the Victoria Police later confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that a 22-year-old man "attended a hotel and shouted political statements" around 12:30am. "He was moved on by police without incident," the spokesperson told the Sydney-based newspaper.
According to The Sydney Herald, Lennon is a "neo-Nazi associate" and a wealthy property development heir who has become a far-right influencer.
The UK-based news outlet, The Daily Mail, reported that Lennon was among the central figures behind the anti-immigrant "March for Australia", a series of nationwide rallies last year that drew in thousands of like-minded anti-immigrant protestors. Australian media outlets would later report that many of their organisers, like Lennon, were allegedly linked to various neo-Nazi and white nationalist associations.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT PROTESTORS ATTEMPTED TO DISRUPT MODI EVENT, FORCED TO LEAVE DUE TO LOUD MUSIC
The next day, Thursday, Lennon returned, leading a group of anti-immigrant protesters as part of a pre-planned protest outside Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, where Prime Minister Modi was addressing the Indian diaspora alongside his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Lennon led the group on a march from the Department of Home Affairs headquarters to the steps of Marvel Stadium, where they hurled racist abuse at arriving attendees for nearly two hours while displaying signs reading "Stop Indian Invasion" and "Modi Go Home".
The protesters' attempts to disrupt the event, however, quickly fizzled out amid the festive atmosphere.
Supporters entering the stadium drowned out their chants, while two musical groups performed nearby. Lennon was eventually forced to abandon his speech after the Janagar Jana Dhol Pathak, a drumming group started by Indian-origin Australians, began playing directly in front of the neo-Nazis.
PM Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit after addressing the Indian community and holding bilateral talks with Albanese, with the brief protests failing to disrupt the official programme or the large diaspora event.
A far-right anti-immigrant protester "heckled" Prime Minister Narendra Modi with abuse-laced slogans after gatecrashing a Melbourne hotel, just hours after the Indian leader arrived in Australia for a two-day visit on Wednesday, according to reports. The same individual later attempted to disrupt Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on Thursday. However, he was drowned out by the music being played by the festive attendees, and was forced to leave.
In a clip shared on social media, the protester — identified as Hugo Lennon, who operates online under the persona "Auspill" — was seen yelling at PM Modi as he arrived on a red carpet in the hotel lobby. "F*** Modi!" he screamed from the floor above, where a large crowd had gathered. "This is Australia. No more Indians. We don't want any more migration. This country is for Australians," Lennon was heard shouting.
Police quickly swarmed Lennon and dragged him away from the first-floor balcony overlooking the lobby as he continued hurling slogans. Police declined to answer questions about how Lennon knew the PM's location or how close he got to Modi. But the Australia-based newspaper Sydney Morning Herald later reported that, "some far-right influencers had shared knowledge online of Modi's movements around the city during his visit."
A spokesperson for the Victoria Police later confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that a 22-year-old man "attended a hotel and shouted political statements" around 12:30am. "He was moved on by police without incident," the spokesperson told the Sydney-based newspaper.
According to The Sydney Herald, Lennon is a "neo-Nazi associate" and a wealthy property development heir who has become a far-right influencer.
The UK-based news outlet, The Daily Mail, reported that Lennon was among the central figures behind the anti-immigrant "March for Australia", a series of nationwide rallies last year that drew in thousands of like-minded anti-immigrant protestors. Australian media outlets would later report that many of their organisers, like Lennon, were allegedly linked to various neo-Nazi and white nationalist associations.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT PROTESTORS ATTEMPTED TO DISRUPT MODI EVENT, FORCED TO LEAVE DUE TO LOUD MUSIC
The next day, Thursday, Lennon returned, leading a group of anti-immigrant protesters as part of a pre-planned protest outside Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, where Prime Minister Modi was addressing the Indian diaspora alongside his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Lennon led the group on a march from the Department of Home Affairs headquarters to the steps of Marvel Stadium, where they hurled racist abuse at arriving attendees for nearly two hours while displaying signs reading "Stop Indian Invasion" and "Modi Go Home".
The protesters' attempts to disrupt the event, however, quickly fizzled out amid the festive atmosphere.
Supporters entering the stadium drowned out their chants, while two musical groups performed nearby. Lennon was eventually forced to abandon his speech after the Janagar Jana Dhol Pathak, a drumming group started by Indian-origin Australians, began playing directly in front of the neo-Nazis.
PM Narendra Modi concluded his two-day visit after addressing the Indian community and holding bilateral talks with Albanese, with the brief protests failing to disrupt the official programme or the large diaspora event.
