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Archived posts show One Nation candidate's far-right crusade rhetoric as party polls at 23 per cent

Matthew Collins, running for a Melbourne seat, called to 'decolonise' Muslim lands and referenced the crusades before deleting his accounts

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources4 outlets
The Age has obtained and verified a catalogue of nearly 17,000 social media posts from One Nation candidate Matthew Collins, revealing a fixation with a perceived clash of civilizations between Christians and Muslims, including calls to "decolonise" parts of the Muslim world and references to the crusades. Collins has deleted or locked his accounts since being selected as one of 112 candidates for the party at next month's Victorian state election. One Nation refused to answer detailed questions about the posts, and Collins did not respond to contact attempts. The party is currently polling at a 23 per cent primary vote, according to the Resolve Political Monitor.

The Age obtained the posts using data-scraping tools that archived Collins' X (formerly Twitter) posts before he shut down his account. The posts, made over the previous decade, include a November 2024 message: "If you thought the crusades ended with Richard the Lionheart, you've got another thing coming." In another post, Collins suggested that the World Decolonization Forum \u2014 an academic event \u2014 should target Muslim lands.

An extremism researcher described the candidate's preoccupation with a clash of civilisations as a feature of extreme right-wing figures that should be rejected. Collins, whose X profile picture depicted him as a knight, also used misogynistic language and spread COVID-19 conspiracy theories, according to the verified posts.

One Nation's candidate profile for Collins states that the 35-year-old works in sales and is contesting a Greens-held seat to restore community safety and government responsibility, and to ease cost-of-living pressures. Collins did not respond to messages sent via his campaign Facebook page.

The revelations come as One Nation appears poised to win a significant number of seats in the Victorian parliament for the first time, based on current polling. The party has not commented on whether it will take any action regarding Collins' social media history.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • A One Nation candidate's far-right views could influence voters in the seat and beyond as the party surges in the polls.
  • The posts raise questions about the party's candidate vetting process and its stance on religious extremism.
  • The Victorian election is weeks away, and the controversy may shift voter sentiment in a tight race.

Background

One Nation, led by Pauline Hanson, is a right-wing populist party that has fielded 112 candidates for the upcoming Victorian state election. The party has a history of controversial statements on immigration, Islam, and multiculturalism. This is not the first time a One Nation candidate has faced scrutiny over past social media activity.

Key Perspectives

One Nation: The party declined to answer detailed questions about Collins' posts and did not address whether it would take disciplinary action. Matthew Collins: The candidate did not respond to attempts to contact him and has deleted his social media presence since being selected. Extremism researcher (unnamed in source): Argued that the candidate's focus on a religious war is a hallmark of extreme right-wing rhetoric that should be condemned.

What to Watch

  • Whether One Nation issues a formal statement or drops Collins as a candidate.
  • How the controversy affects the party's primary vote in the final weeks of the campaign.
  • If other candidates' social media histories are scrutinised in light of this disclosure.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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