An elderly lady has attacked a gatecrasher at a candidate’s forum hours after two separate violent incidents interrupted pre-polling.
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 captured the moment all hell broke loose 30 minutes into the event when three protesters stormed into the room.
One of the men was identified as Matt Trihey, a member of neo-nazi Thomas Sewell’s Lads Society but has denied being a neo-nazi himself.
‘You people are destroying this country because you will not address civic safety,’ he was heard shouting.
Attendees called for the men to leave before an elderly lady marched up to Mr Trihey to confront him and punched him in the face.
Ms Ryan was among those who then intervened and consoled the woman.
A woman punched a protester who gatecrashed a candidates forum in Melbourne on Wednesday night
Organisers called police, who arrived a short time later and spoke to the men as they left the venue.
‘At this stage no further complaints have been made to police. The investigation is ongoing,’ a spokesman said.
Attendee were shocked by the events that transpired.
‘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 a man on Wednesday a day after he kicked down election signage and confronted volunteers outside a pre-polling booth.
A man approached a Sydney pre-polling booth kicking down signage and yelling at volunteers
Footage emerged of the 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 kicked 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 could be heard saying.
‘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.
The episode came just after Mr Yung announced pre-polling had ‘kicked off’.
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 bail to appear at Burwood Local Court June 2.
Police attended a Macquarie Park unit on Wednesday about 1pm and arrested a 30-year-old man following their inquiries
The man targeted Liberal posters in Macquarie Park promoting candidate Scott Yung
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.’
One local, Steve, 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.’
Liberal Party candidate for Bennelong Scott Yung and Labor MP Jerome Laxale were contacted for comment.
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.
Police are pictured speaking to party volunteers after a man was allegedly assaulted outside a pre-polling centre on Wednesday
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.
