A rival socialist party has condemned Jordan van den Lamb’s actions after a Melbourne woman’s home was trashed following his online post encouraging squatting.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) has fiercely criticised Victorian Socialists Senate candidate Jordan van den Lamb, labelling him and his party a “pseudo-left trap” in the Australian federal election.

Looking to distance itself from van den Lamb and the Victorian Socialists’ campaign, the SEP claims the party has “nothing to do with socialism or the interests of the working class” and is designed to block the emergence of a genuine socialist movement.

A Melbourne woman says her late father’s home was stripped of sentimental belongings and left in disarray after the address was shared online by van den Lamb, who urged followers to squat in vacant properties.

Carol, who asked for her surname to be withheld, returned to the house in Melbourne’s outer suburbs last year and struggled to unlock the front door.

“At first I thought it just needed some elbow grease,” she told the ABC. “At that point I think my heart was in my throat and I was panicking.”

CCTV had been installed above the carport. A new heating unit had been mounted outside. Inside, almost everything that had belonged to her father was gone.

"It made me feel very unsafe, even in my home, and scared of what might happen," she said.

Carol later discovered the address had been published online months earlier, in a post by van den Lamb — also known online as 'Purple Pingers' — encouraging squatters to occupy empty homes.

“I believe it's a direct result of that, and I really would like people to think about that,” she said. “It's not a game.”

Amazing new story in Australian politics.

An elderly man died and his property sat vacant as his daughter tried to renovate it so she could move in.

Victorian Socialists Senate candidate Jordan Van Den Lamb (Purple Pingers) posted the address and encouraged people to squat in… pic.twitter.com/Yx8rDXFvXu

— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) April 16, 2025

The controversial aspiring politician told the ABC he might consider apologising to Carol. “I guess so,” he said. He added: “I don’t want her to feel bad.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned van den Lamb’s actions on ABC Radio Melbourne, calling them “outrageous” and describing him as “a disgrace”.

Victorian Socialists defended their candidate on X, saying they wore the Prime Minister’s criticism as “a badge of honour”.

Carol believes the intruders may have been planning to rent the house out. “I think they were setting it up as an Airbnb, or they were going to rent it to some poor, unsuspecting person,” she said.

Police are investigating the break-in.

The SEP’s scathing critique called out the Victorian Socialists for promoting “milquetoast reformism” rather than genuine socialism. SEP candidate Morgan Peach argued that van den Lamb’s campaign, which has gained attention through his social media presence, focuses on individual and anarchistic solutions like squatting, lacking any real plan to "mobilise the working class."

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