One Nation Event Relocated in Melbourne After Police Warnings Over Protest

One Nation has relocated an event in Victoria amid planned protests, but a protest supporter says action was going to be peaceful.

Leader of One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Jan. 19, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

A One Nation fundraising event featuring leader Pauline Hanson and MP Barnaby Joyce was relocated in Melbourne’s north-west today after it became the focus of planned protest activity.

The event, originally scheduled for June 12 at 5.45 p.m. at a Moonee Ponds restaurant, was moved to an alternative venue following concerns regarding community safety.

Moonee Valley City Council issued a warning to locals, citing expected demonstrations around Queens Park and Moonee Ponds Junction. The council confirmed that Victoria Police had been enlisted to manage the protest, which resulted in road closures and potential tram disruptions for three to four hours.

One of the groups rallying against the event, the left-wing Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, posted a video to their website expressing concern that One Nation had overtaken both Labor and the Liberals in the polls.

“They’re no longer a joke and are a real force in Australian politics,” a group member, donning a keffiyeh, said in a video posted to the group’s social media.

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre founder Kon Karapanagiotidis took to X to celebrate what he referred to as the event being “cancelled,” though The Epoch Times understands it was relocated to an alternative venue.

Karapanagiotidis denied allegations that the protest involved threats.

“We were going to be peacefully protesting the event, nothing more,” he said. “We are in a democracy; One Nation have a right to hold events and we have a right to peacefully protest them.

“Wherever One Nation tries to fundraise next in Melbourne we will be there ready to peacefully send a message that migrants and refugees are welcomed in Victoria and any political party pushing hate and division is not.”

In a statement posted to social media, One Nation defended its campaign in Victoria, claiming it was “hard to think of a state in Australia more in need of One Nation policies than Victoria.”

“For years, Victorians have been failed by the current Labor government,” the party said.

“It’s been shambolic, and the fact they seem to be on the cusp of deposing the current state premier months before the state election says it all.

“Victorians shouldn’t have to put up with this. We stand ready.”

The incident comes as recent polling indicates a significant shift in the Victorian political landscape ahead of the state election in November.

A Freshwater Strategy poll showed support for One Nation in Victoria was at 25 percent, while Labor’s primary vote had slid to 23 percent.

The Epoch Times contacted One Nation and Victoria Police for comment.