‘Private intel’: Inside the far-right group disrupting the election

Radical far-right agitators are co-ordinating stunts to confront politicians on the federal election campaign trail, boasting they were able to gain “private intel” on the prime minister’s location.

The concerning trend is believed to be behind a string of disruptions at political events and a confrontation with Anthony Albanese inside a Melbourne hotel.

Evidence uncovered by this masthead and researchers who track the far-right online suggests a small, sophisticated group with links to neo-Nazis are behind many of the disruptions that have plagued the campaign. The group is cloaking their message in “reasonable questions” about policy in a bid to bolster their prominence.

Albanese spoke out against the rise of far-right actors on the campaign trail on Saturday, and the “threat that some of these elements bring”.

“I’ve had some of those figures confront me,” he said, referring to an incident less than a fortnight ago when two men revealed to have links to white supremacists ambushed him at his hotel asking about immigration.

Revelations about those behind the stunts come as leaders joined in bipartisan condemnation of those who disrupted dawn service commemorations in Melbourne and Perth on Friday.

Convicted neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant was arrested at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne when he and a small group booed during the service, and another unidentified man yelled racially charged remarks in Perth.

“We need to take this seriously,” Albanese said.

Daniel Jones, one of two men who confronted Albanese at his hotel, has posted pictures and videos of himself wielding guns and even rocket launchers online.Credit: Facebook

In a livestream online, one of the men involved in the earlier Albanese incident at a hotel explained how a small fringe group was using scripted confrontations and “reasonable questions” to broaden their appeal.

Harrison McLean, of the anti-lockdown group Melbourne Freedom Rally, said he was delighted by the resulting footage they posted of confronting the prime minister because it had portrayed his group as lacking “malice”.

The filmed stunts were designed as “election-influencing actions”, Harrison said, to make it seem as if politicians were unwilling to answer “reasonable questions”.

He claimed the group was informed about where Albanese would be staying via “private intel”. “I was in a team, and we did have info, but that’s about all I can say about that.”

Several members of the online discussion made antisemitic slurs throughout the livestream, and McLean admitted to being the owner of a social media account responsible for a series of posts discussing how best to introduce anti-lockdown campaigners to more extreme antisemitic views, which were first reported by The Guardian.

Approached by this masthead, McLean wouldn’t comment on who he was working with and the source of the information regarding Albanese’s whereabouts, but said: “I was given a tip-off on the location ahead of time”, and he expected more events to follow.

In a detailed statement answering questions, McLean confirmed he had been a member of the Proud Boys, but had left the far-right militant group with “no issues”, still supporting their “underlying principles”. But he added: “I support freedom of religion. I am not a white supremacist … however, it is my view that white people face institutional discrimination.

“I associate with a wide variety of people on the right, and I support more co-operation between all factions of the right, including Libertarians, conservatives, populists, and Australian nationalists ... I agree with most of them, most of the time.”

The other man who claimed credit for confronting Albanese at the hotel was Daniel Jones, a self-defence enthusiast who has posted footage of himself online wielding machineguns and rocket launchers.

Jones has previously been pictured with neo-Nazis, including at events and gym training sessions run by the Lads Society, founded by neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell. Jones has since said he doesn’t support Nazism himself and Albanese was never in any danger from his approach. He declined requests for comment.

So far, none of the disruptors have been violent but an event in Kooyong descended into chaos on Wednesday when white supremacist Matt Trihey gatecrashed it and ranted about immigration. Trihey is a former member of the Lads Society, though the self-described “nationalist” has publicly denied being a neo-Nazi.

Earlier that day McLean had also heckled teal independent Monique Ryan in a filmed stunt in the same electorate.

Of Trihey’s filmed confrontation just hours later, McLean said: “I was not directly personally involved in [that].”

Australian Federal Police turned out in force at another candidate forum held by Jewish groups in Kooyong on Thursday night.

The White Rose Society, an online activist co-operative that tracks the extreme right, said its research suggested the stunts disrupting the campaign were “highly co-ordinated among a network of fascists and neo-Nazis who are already well known to each other”.

Anti-fascist researcher Dr Kaz Ross also said most of the first accounts to post footage of the stunts were run by a clutch of far-right figures known to have associated with neo-Nazis.

Analysis by this masthead of the Albanese incident last week found those behind the accounts initially sharing the footage had either been pictured alongside neo-Nazis at recent events or were themselves former members of the same clubs such as the Lads Society.

“Clearly these are not concerned citizens stumbling across politicians out in the street,” said Ross. “Just because these people seem ridiculous, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take them seriously.”

McLean said he wanted to influence the election to bring “a more Libertarian perspective to government”. He previously said he was asking “genuine questions” of candidates at the Kooyong forum.

Neo-Nazis protesting outside Liberal senator James Paterson’s office.Credit: X

ASIO, the AFP and both major parties said they could not comment on security, which had already been ramped up for the 2025 campaign.

Sources within the Coalition said they were caught off guard by the sophistication of protesters infiltrating their press conferences at closed locations in the first days of the election campaign.

Security services give guidance to MPs offices on how to handle people who appear to be a physical danger, but that doesn’t extend to those who are merely disruptive.

There have also been open neo-Nazi propaganda ploys during the campaign, such as when Hersant and his group rallied outside the office of Liberal senator James Paterson.

In February, ASIO chief Mike Burgess warned: “We expect nationalist and racist violent extremists to continue their efforts to ‘mainstream’ and expand their movement. They will undertake provocative, offensive and increasingly high-profile acts to generate publicity and recruit.”

Albanese has said he has “faith in the AFP” to keep politicians safe but called on MPs on both sides of the aisle to speak out against the rise of the far right.

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