Former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella mobbed at Melbourne University, escorted by police

FORMER Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella has been rescued by police this morning after being mobbed by angry protesters.

SOPHIE Mirabella has been mobbed by protesters during a lecture at Melbourne University.

Footage of the incident shows the former federal Liberal MP struggling to move through a mob of students who circled her while protesting and chanting on megaphones.

The Socialist Alliance — the group that “abused” Julie Bishop during recent protests against cuts to higher education funding — are said to be behind the incident.

A University of Melbourne spokesman confirmed the protest took place this morning, forcing a lecture Ms Mirabella was giving to be suspended.

“Police were called to remove the protesters and protect Ms Mirabella, who was escorted from the theatre for a brief time,” the spokesman said.

“Once the student protesters were removed from the theatre, Ms Mirabella returned and continued the lecture as planned.

“The University is committed to academic freedom of expression and believes all staff have the right to perform their duties without intimidation or harassment.”

Police help the former MP to safety.

Ms Mirabella struggles to break free.

Ms Mirabella is stuck behind the protesters in this screen grab.

Ms Mirabella emerges after police come to her rescue.

A student who was at the lecture told news.com.au Ms Mirabella was at first yelled at by one protester who looked “like they were going to hit her” before others joined in.

The protesters heckled, loudly forcing her to leave the premises with police, while a tutor was even struck during the incident.

The student said Ms Mirabella came back once the protesters had left and students in the room applauded her.

But the student said the protesters targeted Ms Mirabella a second time as she went to drive off and leave the university in her car.

The university confirmed Ms Mirabella was escorted off the premises by police.

In the footage, police are seen ripping protesters away from Ms Mirabella.

According to Fairfax Media, the university’s computer system was hacked, with pictures of Margaret Thatcher projected onto screens.

Victorian police confirmed to news.com.au they received a call to the university at 10am this morning.

“Approximately 20 protesters were demonstrating at one of the lecture theatres,” said a spokesman.

“A female guest speaker was escorted to her car by police, no one was injured or arrested.”

Ms Mirabella was attending the university to give a guest lecture on politics and media.

According to Twitter, Ms Mirabella returned to the lecture theatre 25-minutes later.

In March, it was announced Ms Mirabella was joining the university as a public policy fellow, a move which it described as a “coup.”

The protest comes two days after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was “jostled” and “abused” during a visit to Sydney University.

Ms Bishop was attending the University of Technology to announce a further 1000 students would be able to study overseas under new government funding when she was confronted by about 20 students

The students were protesting proposed cuts to higher education funding and were the same group which targeted Education Minister Christpher Pyne on Q & A earlier this month.

The footage showed the Q & A protesters flanked by other students who surrounded Ms Bishop as they shouted “Shame on you”.

Ms Bishop was about to speak at the opening of the Australia-China Relations Institute when protesters began shouting and interrupting her before she was forced to leave amid the jostling protest.

According to the Socialist Alternative website, its members are a “a group of revolutionary socialists — we stand with the 99% worldwide who are fighting back against the 1%!”

The group participated in the occupation of City Square, and are involved in many campaigns, including for refugee rights, LGBTI equal marriage rights, and Palestine solidarity.

Originally published as Former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella mobbed at Melbourne University, escorted by police