Court Rebukes Man Who Booed Indigenous Welcome to Country at Anzac Day

Judge Grogin repeatedly pressed Toby on whether he was apologetic for disrupting the ceremony.

Pastor Ray Minniecon addresses the crowd during the "Coloured Digger" ANZAC Day service at Redfern in Sydney, Australia on April 25, 2026. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

A man who booed an Indigenous “Welcome to Country” ceremony during an Anzac Day dawn service has refused to apologise while being sentenced in court.

Eli Joseph Toby pleaded guilty in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday to one count of committing a nuisance at a war memorial for booing loudly while Aboriginal elder Uncle Ray Minniecon delivered the Welcome.