18/06/2026
Media Statement
Hawthorn RSL acknowledges the court’s decision to impose a suppression order in relation to Charlie Tidmarsh and Edith Pope who were charged over the graffiti attacks on RSL Sub-Branches in the lead up to ANZAC Day. As a community organisation that deeply respects the rule of law, we also respect the decisions of our courts.
That does not diminish the hurt and anger felt by veterans, volunteers and the broader Australian community. RSL Sub-Branches are not political headquarters or symbols of government. They are places of remembrance, support and community. They are places where veterans gather, where families can connect but also grieve, and where Australians honour those who have served our nation. To deliberately target these places with offensive graffiti in the days before ANZAC Day was profoundly and deliberately disrespectful.
There is an important lesson in this for all Australians. We should always encourage people to learn history, question history and debate history. Respectful debate is one of the great strengths of our democracy. However, there is a vast gulf between robust public debate and criminal acts carried out under the cover of darkness against community institutions. No reasonable person could conclude that vandalising RSL Sub-Branches was an appropriate or justifiable way to express a political view.
Equally concerning were the scenes outside the latest court appearance, where supporters displayed a banner reading “F**k the ANZACs”. That message was not directed at governments or political leaders. It was directed at the men and women who served Australia, many of whom have paid and continue to pay an enormous physical and psychological price in that service. It was directed at proud families, grieving families, veteran families, and veterans themselves who continue to contribute positively to our communities every day. It was, again, deliberately disrespectful.
Australians have always valued the freedom to disagree. That freedom exists because generations of Australians have defended our democratic institutions and our right to express differing opinions. But with those freedoms comes a responsibility to participate in civil discourse and to respect the social contract that allows a diverse society to function. When that gives way to hatred, intimidation and the glorification of vandalism, as a society we all lose.
Hawthorn RSL will continue to welcome respectful discussion about Australia’s military history, past conflicts and the role of the RSL itself. We are not afraid of debate. We simply ask that it be conducted openly, honestly and respectfully, rather than through acts of intimidation and vandalism at midnight.
Our focus remains unchanged: supporting veterans and their families, preserving Australia’s military history, and ensuring future generations understand both the sacrifices made in peace and war, and the freedoms those sacrifices helped secure.
- Drew Maddison, on behalf of Hawthorn RSL Sub-Branch.
