One Nation Victoria has disendorsed Franco Guardiani, its candidate for the seat of Preston in the Victorian state election, following the emergence of private social media posts.
In a now-deleted post on X, Guardiani responded to a prompt asking users to describe Adolf Hitler in one word with brutal honesty by writing 'GOAT', an acronym standing for greatest of all time.
The post also included claims that 'importing Islam is making pedophilia legal'. One Nation confirmed these statements were real during discussions with Guardiani on Tuesday morning.
'At a time when Jewish Australians are experiencing unprecedented persecution, we are appalled that these comments have been made,' said Warren Pickering, the party’s Victorian leader. 'As soon as we became aware, we acted. Preston candidate Franco Guardiani is no longer part of our party. Anyone who holds such views does not have a place in One Nation.'
Guardiani's X account contains multiple anti-Islam posts, including references to bulldozing or setting fire to mosques. It has also engaged with content from Kights Templar International, an anti-immigrant group.
The party acknowledged it remains unclear how Guardiani’s social media history was not detected during its candidate selection and vetting processes. One Nation stated that it had invested time and resources into improving these procedures.
As of the latest update, Franco Guardiani is no longer listed as a One Nation candidate on the party’s official website.