Alleged Anzac Day hecklers face court over 2025 booing

Witnesses have told a Melbourne court they were "disgusted" when a group of men interrupted last year's Anzac Day Dawn Service by booing and heckling.Jacob Hersant, Nathan Bull, Michael Nelson and Ian Lomax have been charged with behaving in an offensive manner, and two counts of breaching the Shrine of Remembrance Regulations Act.The men are fighting the charges in a contested hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court.Mr Hersant, Mr Bull and Mr Nelson are well-known white supremacists, while Mr Lomax, a Ballarat dentist, was suspended from practising after allegations surfaced linking him to neo-Nazi rallies.The court heard the men booed and yelled racist slogans during parts of the service on April 25, 2025.The disruptions started while elder Mark Brown was delivering a Welcome to Country, prosecutor Ryan Mallia said."The yelling and booing was loud enough to be heard across the entire crowd," he said.One woman testified that she was near Mr Nelson and Mr Lomax, who were booing."I was really upset and disgusted It can't be offensive".Mr Lomax's lawyer, Sam Norton, said none of the video footage in the case would depict his client "saying or doing anything that could amount to the offences to which he is charged".Prosecutors were expected to call up to 12 witnesses for the case, which has been set down for five days.In a separate matter, Mr Hersant, Mr Bull and Mr Nelson are facing charges over an alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty, an Indigenous site in Melbourne.In 2024, Mr Hersant became the first Victorian to be found guilty of making a Nazi salute in public