Far-right extremist accused of despicable act at Muslim festival

A far-right extremist is accused of a despicable act at a Muslim peace festival before being taken away by police.

Far-right extremist Neil Erikson has been charged with disturbing religious worship over an alleged incident with a megaphone at a Muslim festival in Federation Square.

A far-right extremist is back in court for a new alleged despicable act in Melbourne’s Federation Square.

Neil Erikson will fight a charge of disturbing religious worship in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, laid against him after he allegedly interrupted a Muslim peace festival in April 2019.

The 36-year-old represented himself rather than a use a lawyer in his Thursday hearing.

Police allege Mr Erikson, holding a megaphone, approached festival patrons while shouting phrases such as “Mohammed was a false prophet”, “Mohammed was a terrorist”, and “vote Fraser Anning”.

Neil Erikson speaks to media outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court in 2018. Picture: AAP Image/ Luis Ascui

Fraser Anning was a Queensland senator from 2017 to 2019, known for his anti-Islam views, who was famously hit in the head with an egg by 17-year-old Will Connolly about a month before the alleged incident.

Mr Erikson continued shouting the inflammatory phrases at the Islamic event “despite the reaction of the crowd”, a police prosecutor told the court.

The festival, called SalamFest, was the 2019 iteration of an annual festival of Muslim arts, culture, food and spiritual traditions, founded “as a creative response to Islamophobia”.

Mr Erikson was escorted away from the festival by police, the court heard.

It heard the entire incident was captured on CCTV.

Mr Erikson is a leading member of far-right group United Patriots Front.

He has previously been in the headlines for organising a far-right rally at St Kilda Beach alongside fellow UPF member Blair Cottrell in January 2019, shouting racial abuse at Muslim former senator Sam Dastyari in 2017, and making an inflammatory video showing a doll being beheaded to protest a planned Bendigo mosque in 2015.

Neil Erikson on St Kilda foreshore in Melbourne on Saturday, January 5, 2019, after organising a far-right rally. Picture: AAP Image/David Crosling

He told the magistrate on Thursday he wanted his court matter uplifted from the Magistrates Court to the higher County Court “due to a constitutional argument”.

But he was told that was not an option for his offence.

He was also advised to get a lawyer.

“I’ll still defend myself, but I do appreciate your advice there,” he told the magistrate.

He will next appear for a three-day contest mention in March.