Police catch man who allegedly headbutted Tony Abbott
POLICE have caught the spiky-haired man who allegedly attacked former PM Tony Abbott. Police have charged the man who Abbott claims headbutted him after asking to shake his hand.
NSW
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POLICE have caught the man who allegedly attacked former PM Tony Abbott.
Less than a day after the attack Tasmanian police located the man who Mr Abbott claims headbutted him after asking to shake his hand.
A 38-year old North Hobart man was charged with one count of common assault after a speedy police investigation.
Labe was granted conditional bail and will appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court at 9.30am on October 23.
A Tasmanian police spokesman said: “We will not get involved in any political matters of ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“This is an assault that occurred on our streets.
“We’ll deal with it as the evidence presents us, and we’ll be guided by the evidence. We won’t be getting into the issues of motivation behind violence on our streets.”
Mr Abbott has called for calm in the same sex debate while admitting he was shocked after being allegedly headbutted by a gay marriage activist.
As police began a hunt for the burly, tattooed activist who attacked him after asking to shake his hand, Mr Abbott said: “It is a shock to have a fellow Australian seeking to shake your hand turn a handshake into an assault.
“Normally a handshake is a sign of trust and peace, it is a sign of two people wanting to deal openly and courteously with each other, but this handshake turned into a headbutt.
“I think it’s sad that this debate has come to that and my plea to everyone in the remaining weeks of this debate is to keep it courteous, keep it respectful, but above all else, respect the values, the institutions that have shaped us since the beginning of our journey and which I think should continue to shape us as we move forward as one cohesive country.”
Mr Abbott said last night’s “politically motivated violence” exposed how the “ugliness” of the postal plebiscite debate was coming from the Yes campaign. The assailant headbutted the former Liberals leader in a Hobart street, leaving him with a busted lip.
The unknown man — who was wearing a “Yes” badge — confronted Mr Abbott as he left the office of The Mercury newspaper.
He said the assault was more evidence of politically-correct activists trying to shut down dissenting opinions.
“There is no doubt that there has been some ugliness as part of this debate, but I regret to say that nearly all of it seems to be coming from one side and that is the people who tell us that love is love,” he said.
“Now, it is a pretty sorry story that that is where Australia is and this is one of the many reasons I say we should think long and hard before going down this path.
“All of us want to be decent and kind and caring and loving to our gay friends and family, but that doesn’t mean that we have to agree with the activists and change a definition of marriage which has stood since time immemorial and from which so much else flows, because it is marriage which gives us families, it is families which give us communities, it is communities which are the building blocks of our nation.
“You change the definition of marriage and you just don’t know what else comes in its wake.”
Mr Abbott has vowed to continue speaking out for his beliefs and said he would not be seeking extra protection.
“I think it is a great thing that Australian politicians mix freely with the people,” he said.
Mr Abbott said last night’s “politically motivated violence” exposed how the “ugliness” of the postal plebiscite debate was coming from the Yes campaign. The assailant headbutted the former Liberals leader in a Hobart street, leaving him with a busted lip.
The unknown man — who was wearing a “Yes” badge — confronted Mr Abbott as he left the office of The Mercury newspaper.
Malcolm Turnbull put aside political differences to defend long-time rival today. “One incident like this is one too many and it must be condemned,” he said.
The unknown man — who was wearing a “Yes” badge — confronted Mr Abbott as he left the office of The Mercury newspaper.
“A fellow sung out to me, ‘Hey, Tony’, I turned around, there was a chap wearing a Vote Yes badge,” Mr Abbott, who is helping lead the same-sex marriage No campaign, told 2GB.
“He says ‘I wanna shake your hand’.
“I went over to shake his hand and he headbutted me. He wasn’t very good at it, but he did make contact, but the only damage was a very slightly swollen lip.
“It was very disconcerting to find ... someone who under the guise of wanting to shake your hand, gives you a so-called Liverpool kiss.”
r Abbott didn’t fight back, but his media adviser grappled with the attacker — who then yelled abuse at Mr Abbott for supporting the No case for the postal plebiscite immediately after striking the ex-PM.
Mr Abbott made a formal complaint about the violence after he was contacted by Tasmania Police overnight.
M
Officers are on the hunt for the assailant and have urged anyone who witnessed the assault, which occurred about 4.35pm on the footpath of Morrison Street, opposite Customs Hotel, to come forward.
“Police would particularly like to hear from the other man who was allegedly involved in
the incident and have urged him to come forward and contact police.”
Piers Akerman: You have to vote no or the same-sex bullies will destroy our culture
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Treasurer Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten all said they called Mr Abbott after the ambush.
“This is terrible — violence like this is never acceptable. I’m glad Mr Abbott isn’t seriously injured and I’ve rung him to say so,” Mr Shorten, who is campaigning to change the Marriage Act, tweeted.
This is terrible - violence like this is never acceptable. I'm glad Mr Abbott isn't seriously injured and I've rung him to say so. https://t.co/FkSOUhObgZ
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) September 21, 2017
Mr Abbott said the incident was “a reminder of how ugly this debate is getting”.
“The ugliness is not coming from the defenders of marriage as it’s always been understood,” he said.
“The ‘love is love’ brigade aren’t showing a lot of love.
“The point I’ve been making, if you don’t like being pushed around by activists, vote no.
“If you don’t like political correctness, vote no.”
Equality Campaign leader Alex Greenwich last night slammed the violence.
“There is never a place for violence or abuse,” he said.
There is absolutely no place for violence in the marriage equality debate. This is about treating people fairly and with respect & dignity.
— Alex Greenwich MP (@AlexGreenwich) September 21, 2017
Ours is a campaign of hope, respect and unity. Our actions should reflect that.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) September 21, 2017
Violence is never acceptable.
“Marriage Equality is about respect and dignity for every Australian.
“There is no room for any disrespect either physical or verbal in this national debate.”
Mr Abbott said he had previously been assaulted just once in public life — at a psychiatric ward by a patient when he had been health minister in 2007.
READ MORE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE GAY MARRIAGE DEBATE
Sky News presenter and Daily Telegraph columnist Andrew Bolt broke the story of the assault on his program last night.
“Abbott is a politician who can’t say no, can’t be rude ... this guy was big, tats, all this kind of stuff,” he said.
“The Yes badge suggested he wasn’t really a supporter (of Mr Abbott) but what can you do?
“He offers his hand, the man headbutts him in the face, goes off swearing, abusing him, saying he deserved it.”
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