Yarraville public meeting ends in violence over parking meters

A COUNCIL meeting over controversial parking meters has erupted into violence, with two politicians attacked.

A COMMUNITY meeting in Victoria about controversial parking meters has ended with two local councillors being “king hit” and “body slammed”.

Councillor Grant Miles was hit in the face at a Maribyrnong Council meeting, where it was decided controversial parking metres, introduced earlier this year, in Yarraville would not be removed.

The disturbing incident took place after Maribyrnong councillors narrowly rejected a motion to remove controversial pay parking meters installed earlier this year.

It’s believed the motion failed by a single vote, which infuriated the crowd of about 80 who had been booing loudly.

Fellow councillor Nam Quach said the man attacked as the crowd was rowdily leaving the meeting.

Photos taken during fiery Maribyrning Council meeting at Footscray Town Hall.

“(He) king-hit him from behind, a right hook to the face,” Cr Quach told AAP last night.

“I just lunged onto him and tried to restrain him as best I could.

“I was body-slammed head-first into the ground, lifted off my feet and slammed into the ground.”

When Cr Quach let go, the man kicked him in the face and stomach, injuring him and breaking his glasses.

The man left the meeting before police arrived to investigate. Cr Quach said the attack was a cowardly act.

“I’m seriously hurt,” he said. “I feel for the people that had to see it. It’s disgusting to be honest,” he told Fairfax.

“It was extremely painful. I certainly got dazed and fuzzy there for a bit,” Cr Quach said.

Convener of the Yarraville Village Says No to PaCouncillor id Parking Facebook page, Megan Darling, said people erupted because people in the public gallery weren’t happy with Cr Grant’s body language.

Councillor Nam Quach says he was body slammed.

“People are defaulting on their mortgages and it’s devastating the entire area. It’s not right,” she told the Herald Sun.

“Cr Grant is a volcano and he causes devastation.”

Those against the parking meters say they are wiping out trader businesses in Yarraville, an inner-city suburb west of Melbourne’s CBD. A number of the controversial parking metres were vandalised earlier this year.

Victoria Police are investigating the incident.

— With AAP.

Originally published as Yarraville public meeting ends in violence over parking meters