Australia's One Nation drops Victorian election candidate who called Hitler 'GOAT'
The Australian party One Nation has disendorsed Franco Guardiani, its candidate in Victoria state, after social media posts calling Adolf Hitler the 'GOAT'. The party says it acted as soon as it learned of the posts.
One Nation, an Australian right-wing party, withdrew its endorsement on Tuesday, 10 November, of Franco Guardiani, its candidate for the seat of Preston in the state of Victoria. The reason was posts on his social media account that described Adolf Hitler as the 'GOAT', short for 'greatest of all time'. The decision changes the party's list of state election candidates and raises questions about how it vets them.
One of the posts, since deleted, was a reply on the platform X to a question asking users to describe Hitler in one word. Guardiani answered with the acronym GOAT. His private account also claimed that 'importing Islam is making pedophilia legal'.
The party learned of the posts on Tuesday morning and removed him a short time later. A party official discussed the posts with Guardiani and confirmed they were genuine.
The party's response
Warren Pickering, One Nation's leader in Victoria, said the party was appalled by the comments at a time when Jewish Australians were experiencing unprecedented persecution. He said the party acted as soon as it became aware, and that anyone holding such views was on notice that they have no place in One Nation.
Other content on the account
Guardiani's X account contains several Islamophobic comments, including references to bulldozing or setting fire to mosques. The account has also engaged with posts by the anti-immigrant group Knights Templar International.
It is unclear how his social media history went undetected during candidate selection and vetting, even though the party says it has invested time and money in improving that process. Guardiani is no longer listed as a candidate on the party's official website. He has been contacted for comment.
