Glenn Mar charged after carrying box cutter near polling booth in marginal Bennelong electorate
Another police incident has unfolded at a Sydney pre-election polling booth after a self described anti-Dutton campaigner was arrested for carrying a cardboard box cutter outside a polling centre in the city’s northern suburbs.
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Another police incident has unfolded at a Sydney pre-election polling booth after a man was arrested for carrying a cardboard box cutter outside a polling centre in the city’s northern suburbs.
Glenn Mar – a self-described “anti-Dutton” campaigner whose mission is to “stop political ratbags” from being elected to Parliament House – has been banned from approaching polling booths after being charged with possessing a knife in a public place.
The Ryde resident said he was carrying out his daily routine of using a cardboard box cutter to make handmade election posters to display around the marginal Bennelong electorate when he was arrested near a Ryde polling booth on Wednesday afternoon.
NSW Police in a statement said the arrest followed reports the 65-year-old had allegedly behaved aggressively towards a volunteer worker.
Earlier in the day, police handed Mar a “move on” order after a member of the public reported him carrying the box cutter outside a polling booth at Eastwood.
Mar was taken into custody at Gladesville Police Station where he was interviewed and subsequently charged with being in possession of a knife in a public place (first offence).
As part of his bail conditions, Mar must not go within 50m of a polling booth for the remainder of the election campaign.
Mar – who encourages other Sydney residents to display “stop the ratbags” posters depicting political figures including Peter Dutton, Barnaby Joyce and Clive Palmer in their neighbourhoods – is now trying to fight the bail conditions, claiming his “voice is being silenced”.
“My tactic is, every time I appear at a polling booth, I put up posters which are on printed paper so I need to paste them onto cut cardboard and therefore have to use a box cutter,” he said.
“To claim I’m acting aggressively when all I was doing was cutting cardboard is ridiculous.
“I’m just a citizen lawfully putting up posters and the bail conditions are a breach of my democratic rights.
“It’s a way of silencing me.”
The incident is among a spate of police call-outs to polling booths in 24 hours including at Macquarie Park in the same Bennelong electorate where another man was arrested for allegedly kicking over Liberal Party posters and acting aggressively towards party volunteers.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Australian Electoral Commission said: “While there have been a couple of instances of violent or intimidating behaviour in the past couple of days, our experience is that the vast majority of political participants are engaging in an appropriate manner.
“Australian elections are celebrated for many reasons, including the respectful nature that they are typically conducted in.’’
Mar is due to face court in June.
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Originally published as Glenn Mar charged after carrying box cutter near polling booth in marginal Bennelong electorate
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