A nationalist activist has called out a group of masked far-left Antifa extremists over an alleged Anzac Day vandalism spree in Melbourne.
Michael Nelson, a former member of the National Socialist Network, filmed himself heckling the group outside Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where they turned up to support two women accused of spray-painting “f*ck the Anzacs” and “kill the troops” on two RSL clubs on April 25.
The left-wing extremists, hid behind black umbrellas, hoods and Palestinian scarfs and walked quickly away as Mr Nelson called them a “bunch of traitors” and asked “why do you think it’s okay to say ‘kill the troops’?”
Video of me confronting masked supporters of Antifa terrorists accused of ANZAC Day vandalism where they said “Fuck the ANZACs” and called for the death of Australia and our troops pic.twitter.com/9dJF8zEcuR
— Michael Nelson (@heropatriot88) September 15, 2026
“F*ck the Anzacs? They died for this country, who do you think you are?” he asked.
“You guys are a bunch of cowards, why don’t you talk? Feel free to graffiti in the dead of the night but won’t talk about your beliefs? You guys are a bunch of rats.
“What happened to ‘punch a Nazi’ you f*cking pussies? There’s eight of you and one of me, and what, you’re not going to punch me? Isn’t that all you talk about? So you’re going to graffiti and talk about ‘punch a Nazi’ and then someone actually confronts you, walk like cowards?”
The two accused, Edith Pope, 22, and Charlie Tidmarsh, 20, also hid behind face masks in court after providing medical certificates, the Herald Sun reported.
In June the women successfully applied for a suppression order banning the media from publishing photos identifying them, and after that hearing supporters unfurled a banner saying “courts have no jurisdiction on stolen land, land back, f*ck the Anzacs”.
Magistrate Jan MacLean said it was “unusual” that the pair would insist on wearing masked while protected by the suppression order, and accepted the medical certificates and allow them to remain masked, but said they would need more specific reasons to remain masked during their next appearance.
Pope and Tidmarsh are planning to contest charges of grossly offensive public conduct, criminal damage, mark graffiti on property without consent and possess graffiti implement to mark graffiti, and will face court again in December.
The pair were chased down by police and arrested after allegedly vandalising the Heidelberg RSL at 1.45am on April 25 this year, and police allege they also defaced the Reservoir RSL, causing $3,000 worth of damage.
Images of the damage to Reservoir RSL shows slogans including “land back”, “death to the ADF”, “kill the troops”, “Gallipoli – do it again”, “death to ‘Australia’”, “vets = imperialist scum”, and “Anzacs = colonisers”.
Mr Nelson also confronted far-left extremists who were calling for the death of Pauline Hanson at a One Nation event in Melbourne in June, and last month spent 21 days in jail for “offensive behaviour” for wearing a meme T-shirt and performing a Nazi salute while it was still legal.
The confrontation comes after a small group of Antifa – which has been designated as a domestic terrorist organisation in the US – tried to disrupt a free speech demonstration in Melbourne, following a series of violent attacks on patriotic protesters at events in recent months.
Header image: Left, the masked extremists (Michael Nelson – X). Right, the alleged Anzac Day vandalism (Leanne Nicols).
