A far-right gatecrasher has been ejected from the Melbourne hotel where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is staying during a three-day visit to Australia, after screaming out a late-night tirade inside the CBD hotel’s lobby.
Neo-Nazi associate Hugo Lennon, a wealthy property development heir turned far-right influencer, posted footage of the stunt about 1am on Thursday. In the video, police officers quickly swarm Lennon and drag him away from the first-floor balcony overlooking the hotel lobby as he bellows “f— Modi!” and “f— India!”
Prime Minister Modi touched down in Melbourne at 10.30pm on Wednesday, where he was greeted by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and federal Housing Minister Clare O’Neil.
Police did not respond to questions at the time of publication about whether any charges would be laid, or how Lennon knew where the Indian prime minister was staying.
Lennon and his collaborator Mitch Hobbs, a Melbourne stockbroker who goes by the name “Sir Doug”, have organised a protest this evening against Modi’s visit, which officially kicked off on Thursday morning.
Posters for the protest event are being shared online by prominent neo-Nazis, including Thomas Sewell, the leader of the now outlawed National Socialist Network.
Security measures are expected to be high throughout the trip after the Australian Federal Police issued an official warning to a young person who made a death threat towards Modi last week.
A spokesperson for the AFP said on Monday the source of the online threat was identified and spoken to on July 3.
“Following an assessment of the matter, the young person was issued a formal warning,” an AFP spokesperson said.
“There is no current or impending risk to the community.”
Lennon’s stunt overnight follows a series of ambushes on politicians by far-right figures during the 2025 federal election, including when two other known neo-Nazi associates confronted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a Melbourne hotel lobby. At the time, those involved in the confrontations boasted in leaked audio about gaining “private intel” on Albanese’s movements.
Both Lennon and Hobbs are among a number of wealthy backers recently unmasked by this masthead now helping Sewell and his supporters plot their next move into politics.
Some far-right influencers living interstate have said they are planning to fly to Melbourne to join the protest on Thursday, while others have shared some knowledge online of Modi’s movements around the city during his visit.
Sherryn Groch is a journalist at The Age covering crime. Email her at s.groch@nine.com.au or contact her securely on Signal @SherrynG.70Connect via X or email.
