Riccardo Bosi
{{Short description|Australian conspiracy theorist and former soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Riccardo Bosi
| office = Leader of Australia One
| term_start = 5 October 2019
| term_end =
| birth_name = Riccardo Umberto Guerrino Bosi
| birth_date = 9 March 1960
| birth_place = Sydney, Australia
| party = Australia One (2019−present)
| otherparty = Australian Conservatives (2018−2019)
}}
{{Far-right politics in Australia|expanded=People}}
Riccardo Umberto Guerrino Bosi (born 9 March 1960) is an Australian conspiracy theorist and former Australian Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel.{{cite news |last1=Patty |first1=Anna |date=4 September 2020 |title=Pandemic linked to rise of conspiracy theories |url=https://www.smh.com.au/nation20200904-p55sf6.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}} He is the founder of the AustraliaOne political party.{{cite web |title='Tear the place down': Inside cookers' bizarre plan to run for NSW Parliament |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/politics/tear-the-place-down-inside-cookers-bizarre-plan-to-run-for-nsw-parliament/news-story/25c6273feb2ff97cd02c9f04ce0c250a |publisher=news.com.au |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319135159/https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/politics/tear-the-place-down-inside-cookers-bizarre-plan-to-run-for-nsw-parliament/news-story/25c6273feb2ff97cd02c9f04ce0c250a |url-status=live }} Bosi is known for pushing COVID-19 misinformation and genocide denial.
Early life
Bosi was born and raised in Sydney. Both of his parents are Italian immigrants to Australia.
Political career
Bosi ran in second place on the Australian Conservatives senate ticket in New South Wales at the 2019 federal election.{{cite web |title=First preferences by Senate group: New South Wales |url=https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-24310-NSW.htm |website=AEC Tally Room |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |accessdate=17 June 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804053320/https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/SenateStateFirstPrefsByGroup-24310-NSW.htm |url-status=live }} He was unsuccessful, with the party only receiving 0.49% of the vote. Shortly after the election, he founded the Australia One Party.
Bosi contested the 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election, receiving 513 votes (or 0.54%), the second-lowest of any candidate.{{cite web|title=Riccardo Bosi Candidate for Eden-Monaro Federal Election|url=https://www.facebook.com/riccardobosi.page/|website=australiaoneparty.com|access-date=29 June 2023|archive-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203201209/https://www.facebook.com/riccardobosi.page/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Eden-Monaro, NSW |url=https://results.aec.gov.au/25820/Website/HouseDivisionPage-25820-117.htm |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |accessdate=22 August 2020 |language=en-AU |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922023024/https://results.aec.gov.au/25820/Website/HouseDivisionPage-25820-117.htm |url-status=live }}
Bosi unsuccessfully contested the electorate of Greenway at the 2022 federal election, receiving 3.25% of the vote.[https://results.aec.gov.au/27966/Website/HouseDivisionPage-27966-122.htm Greenway, NSW] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208063351/https://results.aec.gov.au/27966/Website/HouseDivisionPage-27966-122.htm |date=8 February 2023 }}, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission. He later led a "Riccardo Bosi" ticket at the Legislative Council at the 2023 New South Wales state election, which received 0.78% of the vote.{{cite web |title=Legislative Council Check Count Statewide Summary |url=https://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SG2301/LC/state/cc/fp_summary |website=NSW State Election Results 2023 |publisher=New South Wales Electoral Commission |access-date=19 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418110319/https://vtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SG2301/LC/state/cc/fp_summary |url-status=live }}
= AustraliaOne =
{{Infobox political party
| name = Australia One
| logo =
| logo_size =
| colorcode = #292A67
| leader = Riccardo Bosi
| foundation = 5 October 2019
| ideology = Conservatism
| position = Right-wing to far-right
| abbreviation = A1
| founder =
| slogan = "Our best future"
}}
in October 2019 Bosi founded an Australian political party, AustraliaOne (not to be confused with One Australia Party, which was founded in 1995 and deregistered in 1999). AustraliaOne has not registered with any electoral commission, at state or federal levels, five years after its inception.{{cite web |last1=Whelan |first1=Chloe |title=Conspiracy theorist Australia One party mocked after losing badly in NSW election |url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/conspiracy-theorist-australia-one-party-mocked-after-losing-badly-in-nsw-election/news-story/13ac80191f4fe922a61686688edb0921 |publisher=news.com.au |access-date=29 June 2024 |date=26 March 2023 |quote=Mr Bosi and Mr Graham’s party — which they call the Australia One party but, since it was never registered, appeared on the ballot as Group U}}{{Cite web |date=9 February 2025 |title=How older Australians are being drawn into extremism webs |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/older-aussies-are-getting-hooked-on-harmful-and-family-shattering-conspiracy-theories-c-17568627 |access-date=9 February 2025 |website=The West Australian |language=en-AU |archive-date=9 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209085445/https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/older-aussies-are-getting-hooked-on-harmful-and-family-shattering-conspiracy-theories-c-17568627 |url-status=live }}
Australia One endorsed candidates at the 2022 federal election, 2022 Victorian state election and 2023 New South Wales state election. They included Darren Bergwerf, who has run for the party twice. Bergwerf later founded My Place Australia.{{cite news |last1=Barker |first1=Emily |title=Anti-vax group My Place is pushing to take 'control of council decisions' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-04/anti-vax-group-my-place-plan-to-influence-your-local-council/102166182 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052110/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-04/anti-vax-group-my-place-plan-to-influence-your-local-council/102166182 |url-status=live }} The party ran 18 candidates for the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 2023 New South Wales state election. They received 0.78% of the vote.
Conspiracy theories
In 2021, Bosi was charged with breaching South Australia's COVID-19 rules.{{cite news |last=Marchant |first=Gabriella |date=25 October 2021 |title=Accused COVID breacher Riccardo Bosi calls Adelaide magistrate an 'imbecile' during phone hearing |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-25/accused-covid-19-direction-breachers-face-adelaide-court/100566960 |access-date=2024-06-10 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052112/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-25/accused-covid-19-direction-breachers-face-adelaide-court/100566960 |url-status=live }} During a subsequent court hearing, he told Magistrate Jack Fahey "You have no standing, you are at worst a traitor and at best an imbecile, the truth of which will be determined in due course". Fahey then hung up on Bosi, who was appearing via phone.
Bosi has been described by the Australian Associated Press as a "serial misinformation spreader" as a result of conspiracy theories he has promoted on social media.{{cite web |date=21 June 2022 |title=Party on! Constitution claim judged to be utter nonsense |url=https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/party-on-constitution-claim-judged-as-utter-nonsense/ |publisher=Australian Associated Press |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052112/https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/party-on-constitution-claim-judged-as-utter-nonsense/ |url-status=live }} They include claims that political parties are unconstitutional, that Ukraine is not a sovereign state, and that votes in the 2023 New South Wales state election would be tampered with.{{cite web |last1=Jeffery |first1=Stuart |date=3 December 2022 |title=Common(wealth) Knowledge #27: Are political parties unconstitutional? |url=https://www.6newsau.com/post/common-wealth-knowledge-27-are-political-parties-unconstitutional |publisher=6 News Australia |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052110/https://www.6newsau.com/post/common-wealth-knowledge-27-are-political-parties-unconstitutional |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Meghan |date=18 March 2022 |title=Ukraine sovereignty claim ignores 30 years of independence |url=https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ukraine-sovereignty-claim-ignores-30-years-of-independence/ |publisher=Australian Associated Press |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052113/https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ukraine-sovereignty-claim-ignores-30-years-of-independence/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=23 February 2023 |title=Fact checking the Ohio train derailment disaster |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-24/checkmate-ohio-train-derailment-misinformation/102014646 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |quote=Independent candidate starts early with claims of 'electoral fraud' in NSW |archive-date=29 June 2023 |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052110/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-24/checkmate-ohio-train-derailment-misinformation/102014646 |url-status=live }} He has appeared on InfoWars with Alex Jones, discussing Australia's transformation "into North Korea".{{cite news |date=19 February 2022 |title=Former SAS officer Riccardo Bosi leading dangerous anti-vax revolution across Australia |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/coronavirus/former-sas-officer-riccardo-bosi-leading-dangerous-anti-vaxx-revolution-across-australia--c-5708712 |work=The West Australian |archive-date=29 June 2023 |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629052110/https://thewest.com.au/news/coronavirus/former-sas-officer-riccardo-bosi-leading-dangerous-anti-vaxx-revolution-across-australia--c-5708712 |url-status=live }}
Bosi has been described as preaching a mixture of QAnon and Sovereign citizen beliefs. In February 2025, he told online followers that it was a lie that 6 million Jews had died in the holocaust. Bosi also claimed that doctor's were being paid for the body parts of aborted foetuses. He has previously called for politicians, judges, doctors, journalists or anyone who supported the "COVID hoax" to be hanged.
{{clear}}