Wild moment an elderly lady throws a punch at a political gatecrasher – as election campaign violence erupts across the country
Video has captured the moment an elderly woman punched a gatecrasher at a political candidates forum, just hours after several other violent incidents interrupted pre-polling in other areas.
A crowd of 60 voters attended a Friends of the ABC organised forum in Kew, in the north-east Melbourne seat of Kooyong on Wednesday night.
Teal independent MP Monique Ryan spoke at the event alongside her Labor and Greens rivals about the state of Australian media and funding for the national broadcaster.
Footage shows three protesters storming into the room, with one of the men identified as Matt Trihey, a member of neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell’s Lads Society, but he has denied being a neo-Nazi himself.
‘You people are destroying this country because you will not address civic safety,’ he shouted.
Attendees called for the men to leave before an elderly woman marched up to Mr Trihey to confront him and punched him in the face.
Ms Ryan was among those who then intervened to hold the woman back and console her.
A woman punched a protester who gatecrashed a candidates forum in Melbourne on Wednesday night
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan (pictured) was among the attendees who were forced to intervene
Organisers called police, who arrived a short time later and spoke to the men as they were escorted from the venue.
‘At this stage no further complaints have been made to police. The investigation is ongoing,’ a spokesman said.
Attendees were shocked by the scenes that unfolded.
‘They weren’t expecting that sort of interruption, and it was upsetting [for them],’ Ms Ryan told The Age.
‘I was also concerned that things could potentially get out of hand if someone felt the need to [physically] intervene.
‘It’s unfortunate … I’ve not heard of that sort of thing [happening at other forums].’
The latest incident comes after two confrontations during pre-polling in Sydney.
Police arrested and charged a man on Wednesday, a day after he kicked down election signage and confronted volunteers outside a pre-polling booth.
A man approached a Macquarie Park pre-polling booth on Tuesday, kicking down signage and yelling at volunteers. He has since been charged
Footage emerged of a man destroying Liberal posters outside Dunmore Lang College in Macquarie Park in the north-west Sydney electorate of Bennelong.
He was also heard yelling at party volunteers nearby.
‘Is it you? All these f***ing Liberal signs, brah,’ the man fumed.
‘All of these f***ing signs and I’ve got to look at them.’
Volunteers asked the man to ‘move along’, as he continued to kick signs for local Liberal candidate Scott Yung.
He was then heard yelling at a female volunteer.
‘Don’t put your f***ing hands on me,’ he said.
‘Because you’re a woman, yeah, you’re allowed to?’
The man then kicked two more signs before turning to face off with a Liberal volunteer before a Greens supporter intervened and escorted him away.
Police attended a Macquarie Park unit on Wednesday and arrested a 30-year-old man following their inquiries over the altercation with Liberal Party volunteers at pre-polling
The man targeted Liberal posters in Macquarie Park promoting candidate Scott Yung
One shocked onlooker told the Daily Telegraph he was left frightened by the incident.
‘(I’m) still a bit traumatised to be honest,’ he said.
‘Thankfully I wasn’t in his way but I was fearing for the guy in the Liberal shirt.’
No one was injured.
The incident unfolded just after Mr Yung announced pre-polling had ‘kicked off’ ahead of the May 3 election.
No one was injured.
Police arrested a man, 30 at a Macquarie Park home on Wednesday.
‘The man allegedly intimidated a 32-year-old female volunteer and acted in an aggressive manner towards two other volunteers,’ a police statement read.
He was charged with intimidation and bailed to appear in Burwood Local Court on June 2.
The Australian Electoral Commission is aware of the incident.
‘The AEC is aware of this matter. It occurred outside of the polling venue, did not involve an AEC staff member and did not affect the continued operation of polling activities,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Destruction of property or intimidatory behaviour is potentially a police matter but not one for the AEC.
‘The AEC has been consistent throughout the election in calling for lawful and respectful campaigning to occur. It’s disappointing to see any violent or intimidatory behaviour.’
Liberal Party candidate for Bennelong Scott Yung and Labor MP Jerome Laxale were contacted for comment.
Police are pictured speaking to party volunteers after a man was allegedly assaulted outside a pre-polling centre in Ashfield on Wednesday
Earlier on Wednesday, an elderly man was rushed to hospital with head injuries after tensions erupted outside a pre-polling booth at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate.
Emergency services attended Ashfield Civic Centre in Sydney’s inner-west following reports of an alleged assault.
The man, 79, was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.
It’s understood the man was wearing a Make America Great Again hat and allegedly became aggressive towards a volunteer offering how-to-vote pamphlets.
He then allegedly approached a Labor corflute picturing Mr Albanese with intent to deface it, Nine News reported.
He was confronted by a woman before a teenage boy, 17, allegedly crossed the road and struck the man, who fell to the ground.
The boy was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was refused bail to appear in a children’s court on Thursday
Police said the pair were not known to each other.
Ashfield is in the federal electorate of Grayndler, which has been held by Mr Albanese for almost three decades.
