One Nation Removes Victorian Candidate Following Disclosed Social Media Activity

One Nation has withdrawn its endorsement of a Victorian candidate ahead of upcoming state elections following the discovery of controversial social media activity. The party announced the decision after reviewing online posts attributed to its Preston candidate, Franco Guardiani.

According to the evidence provided, Guardiani used a private social media account to reply to an online prompt asking users to describe Adolf Hitler. Guardiani responded with the acronym GOAT, which is commonly understood to mean greatest of all time. Additional posts from the same account included assertions regarding Islam and comments concerning religious institutions.

One Nation’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, stated that party officials were alerted to the posts on Tuesday morning and spoke directly with Guardiani, who confirmed the authenticity of the material. Pickering expressed concern over the remarks, noting that the individual is no longer associated with the organisation.

Guardiani acknowledged the authorship of the posts when contacted by media representatives. He stated that he understood the rationale behind the party's decision to disendorse him and maintained his support for the political organisation despite the outcome.

In a separate development reported in regional legal proceedings, a Geelong court heard testimony regarding a man charged with assaulting a One Nation volunteer in Torquay. Police stated that the assault was not politically motivated and noted that the accused had been undergoing drug withdrawal management since being charged.