POLL PUNCH-UP: Queueing fears behind Redbank Plains fight

Footage has emerged of two men engaged in a fight outside a southeast Queensland polling booth, with a witness saying the fracas was sparked by COVID-19 fears.

FOOTAGE has been posted online of a two men fighting on the footpath, reportedly outside a Redbank Plains polling booth in Ipswich, this morning.

The mobile phone video footage shows a man of Asian appearance and a larger man wrestling on the footpath as a security guard works to separate them.

Footage has emerged of two men fighting on a footpath outside a polling booth in Redbank.

Election corflutes can be seen in the background, several concerns bystanders appear to try to help and election officials in maroon bibs are seen close by.

After the men are separated, a woman can be heard saying: “Can we please put the cameras away.”

The footage was posted on a Facebook page run by Paige May, whose location is shown as Ipswich.

Footage has emerged of two men fighting on a footpath outside a polling booth in Redbank.

Ms May, 21, told the couriermail.com.au that she had been lining up at the Redbank Plains Primary School polling centre at 9.10am to vote when she heard to men yelling at one another.

“I just turned around and they were on the floor,” the Redbank Plains resident said.

“We were inside waiting in line,” she said.

“The line was going out the door but everyone spread out when they started having a fight.

“They did start yelling before they started fighting.

“The security guard came over and tried to separate them straight away.”

“Everyone was really tense after that because it was really random.”

She said one of the election officials who had been in charge of keeping everyone in a line had told onlookers to put their phones a way, which was captured in the video.

Other polling booth workers, who were not authorized to make comment, said the pair involved in the fight did not appear to know one another and had started arguing as they left the polling centre.

The fight broke out just metres from the entry, but witnesses were unaware of the specific trigger.

Police were not called to the incident and the two men left directly after the scuffle.

Ms May said she did not know the cause of the fight, but said the atmosphere at the polling booth was one in which “everyone was afraid of each other.”

Footage has emerged of two men fighting on a footpath outside a polling booth in Redbank.

She said she reluctantly turned up to vote during the coronavirus crisis because, having just lost her job as a disability carer last week as a result of her immuno-comprimised clients having to self-isolate, she could not afford the fine.

“After that I just ended up leaving and not voting because I just got too stressed out,” she said.

Several other voters at the same polling centre slammed the decision to hold the election during a pandemic as “ridiculous.” Many voters entered wearing facemasks.

An Electoral Commission of Queensland spokesman said additional security officers had been engaged for the elections to help enforce public health and safety measures at polling booths and the footage showed the security officer in the incident had intervened to maintain order.

“Other ECQ officers are also in attendance at polling booths to help with the queuing process and remind people to maintain social distancing,” he said.

“Those officers are part of the 1400 strong cohort that the ECQ has specifically employed for queue management today.

“This is in addition to additional queue management staff who were engaged two weeks ago.”

The newspaper has approached the Queensland Police Service for comment.

An Electoral Commission of Queensland spokesman this morning refused to confirm the incident took place, referring the newspaper to the police.