Hobart man who allegedly assaulted Tony Abbott breaks his silence

THE man who allegedly headbutted Tony Abbott has broken his silence. The 38-year-old North Hobart man didn’t hold back.

THE Hobart man charged with assaulting former Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the incident has nothing to do with same-sex marriage.

Astro Labe, 38, of North Hobart, said he will tell the court his impulsive attack on the Liberal MP was motivated his longstanding dislike of the former prime minister.

He said he had not intended to cause embarrassment to the same-sex marriage cause, which he supports.

“It was nothing really remotely to do with that. It’s just about Tony Abbott — the f***ing worm that he is.

“All it was is I saw Tony Abbott and I’d had half a skinful and I wanted to nut the c***.

“I want to divorce myself [from the same-sex marriage issue] — not because I disagree with their stance — but this was nothing to do with that. That’s just my personal hatred.”

Mr Labe was charged on Friday over the alleged assault a day earlier. Tasmanian Police issued a statement saying a 38-year-old man had been charged with one count of common assault following a police investigation into a complaint made by the former Liberal Leader.

Astro Labe, 38, of North Hobart, is accused of assaulting former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

Police said the man was granted conditional bail, and is due to appear in court over the incident next month.

Mr Labe admitted he had a same-sex sticker on his jacket, but that was a coincidence.

“It was purely because a friend of mine had walked past handing them out and had stuck one on my jacket,” he said.

He said he had been drinking at a Hobart waterfront hotel when he saw Mr Abbott walk past. His version of what followed was almost identical to the story Mr Abbott told on Thursday night.

“I was like ‘Tony, Tony’, I kind of trotted up behind him. I trotted up behind him, ‘I just want to shake your hand and just went bang. Kind of missed it. Gave him a fat lip. He got off pretty lightly.

The barista and bartender says he returned to the pub and had a couple of shots of scotch.

He said he would apologise for his actions when he appeared in court, but his opinions had not changed.

“I’m an anarchist, he’s an evil c***.”

A 38 year old North Hobart man has been charged following an alleged incident on Hobart’s waterfront yesterday... https://t.co/QoCmJ6MUbl

— Tasmania Police (@TasmaniaPolice) September 22, 2017

Earlier, a staff member who witnessed the alleged assault on the Hobart waterfront revealed the attacker said nothing about same-sex marriage.

The staff member, Sam Jackson Hope, told Sky News at no stage did the attacker ever mention same-sex marriage, although he was wearing a “Yes” campaign badge.

Mr Jackson Hope’s account of the incident supports the public statements of the former Liberal leader.

Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio Mr Jackson Hope briefly grappled with the man, before he “scarpered off, swearing”.

Prior to the arrest, police described their suspect as a man with short, spiky, sandy-coloured hair and facial piercings, who had been wearing a leather jacket with a “Yes” badge at the time of the incident.

Is this the swollen lip Tony Abbott received? Picture: AAP Image/Jim Rice

The incident happened after Mr Abbott attended a private function in the Tasmanian capital on Thursday afternoon.

A photo from Mr Abbott’s press conference this morning appear to show a small mark on his bottom 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,” Mr Abbott said.

“As he was scuttling away, amid all the F this and F that, was ‘you deserve it because of all the things you’ve said’. I think it was pretty clear it was … politically motivated violence.”

After her interview with Mr Jackson Hope, Sky News presenter Samantha Maiden said there was “nothing to suggest this has anything to do with same-sex marriage other than those eyewitness reports” from the former prime minister and his staff member that the man was wearing a badge that said “Yes”.

.@samanthamaiden: A staffer has confirmed the man who attacked @TonyAbbottMHR said nothing about marriage. More: https://t.co/5qeDnnnRVo pic.twitter.com/dnXDAYFjNm

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 22, 2017

Mr Abbott is a fervent campaigner of voting “No” in the marriage equality postal survey and travelled to Hobart this week seeking a voice in an increasingly noisy and divisive national debate.

And with a brazen assault on him by a headbutting tattooed “Yes” supporter he seems to have found it.

Mr Abbott did not have any obvious physical injury to his face when he appeared before the media this morning but has said he was left with a swollen lip immediately after the headbutt.

This morning it emerged there may be CCTV footage of the attack after a spokesman for Custom House Hotel told news.com.au they did have cameras outside the building, which is close to where Mr Abbott was assaulted.

However they said they had not had a chance to check them to see whether the fight had been captured on film.

Anyone with information about the alleged incident including evidence in the form of video footage or closed circuit television footage was urged to call Hobart Police or Crimestoppers.

On Thursday night Mr Abbott contacted Sky News Bolt Report program to inform them of the incident before he had even spoken to local police.

The assault on my brother was disgraceful. Whatever your view, Australia is better than this. #respect #unAustralian #auspol @TonyAbbottMHR

— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) September 22, 2017

The story has dominated national media and allowed the Member of Warringah the national platform he has been craving.

Speaking outside a Hobart waterfront hotel this morning Mr Abbott said he was “sorry to say” the “love is love” campaigners were the ones spreading the hate.

“There’s not much coming from that (No) side,” he said.

He lashed former Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard who had previously voted against marriage equality in parliament.

“Now, it seems if you speak out for a concept of which has stood since time in — of marriage — you risk being headbutted in the street. Now, it’s pretty sorry 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.”

Mr Abbott said he wanted all Australians to be “decent and kind and caring and loving” to gay friends and family, but that didn’t mean they needed to be allowed to marry the traditional way.

“It doesn’t mean that we have to agree with the activists and change a definition of marriage ... 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,” he warned.

Tony Abbott pictured moments before being headbutted in Hobart. Picture: Sky News

“Look, it is a shock — it is a shock to have a fellow Australian seeking to shake your hand turn a handshake into an assault. It is a shock. 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 with 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.”

Tasmanian police contacted Mr Abbott about the incident after he spoke to a reporter about it on Thursday night. However this morning Mr Abbott told reporters a staff member had alerted the AFP after the incident.

Mr Abbott said his attacker “wasn’t very good at” headbutting but the blow did make contact.

“The only damage was a very, very slightly swollen lip,” he said. Mr Abbott did not require medical attention.

‘UN-AUSTRALIAN’

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Radio National the attack was “utterly un-Australian”.

“It’s wrong. It’s an assault too and I’ve been in touch with Tony and indeed the Federal Police Commissioner because we need to make sure the police get all the information they need to identify the assailant and bring him before the courts,” he said.

“So we absolutely condemn that and I just want to say that while one incident like that is one too many and it is to be deplored and condemned, nonetheless overwhelmingly, Australians, while they do have different views on this, are expressing those different views and discussing them in a very respectful way.”

Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has said Tony Abbott’s attacker had “nothing to do” with the “Yes” campaign and denounced the assailant as a “stupid clown”.

“There is no place for violence in the marriage equality campaign,” Mr Greenwich told Sky News on Friday.

“This stupid clown in Hobart has nothing to do with our campaign at all.”

On Channel 9’s Today Show this morning, host Lisa Wilkinson cheekily implied government frontbencher Christopher Pyne may have been Mr Abbott’s attacker.

She opened the interview by asking if he was in Hobart last night. “Lisa, that isn’t even funny,” Mr Pyne quickly replied.

“People shouldn’t be physically attacked for having a different view about marriage equality,” he added.

MORE: Joe Hildebrand’s guide to the gay marriage debate

LISTEN TO TONY ABBOTT ON 3AW BELOW

Tony Abbott earlier in the day with Tasmania Irrigation in a picture from his Facebook page. Picture: Tony Abbott/Facebook

Tony Abbott meets with anti-same-sex-marriage campaigners while visiting Hobart. Picture: Tony Abbot/Facebook

ABBOTT’S VOICE GROWS LOUDER

Mr Abbott has become a leading voice of the campaign against same-sex marriage leading up to the national postal survey on the issue.

The Liberal backbencher has repeatedly said in opinion pieces and on social media that same-sex marriage campaigners have been responsible for “bullying and hate speech” throughout the campaign.

In his first interview after the alleged attack, Mr Abbott said Thursday’s 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.”

However, there have been ugly outbreaks of violence against marriage equality supporters, including the godson of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who was bashed on a Brisbane street earlier this month.

When asked by Macquarie Radio presenters Andrew Bolt and Steve Price if he had considered fighting back, the former university boxer said “the thought certainly went through my mind” but he thought better of it.

“The interesting thing about this whole debate is that it was supposed to be a trigger for bullying and intimidation and the bullying and intimidation was all supposed to come from the “No” side … But so far 99 per cent of the bad stuff are from the people telling us that love is love,” he said.

The postal survey has sparked an outpouring of vitriol from both sides of the debate. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

‘NEVER A PLACE FOR VIOLENCE’

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is among a group of “Yes” campaigners that has condemned the violence against Mr Abbott.

Mr Shorten tweeted that he called his former political opponent to say he was pleased that Mr Abbott wasn’t seriously injured.

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

The leader of the Australian Marriage Equality campaign, Alex Greenwich, tweeted that there was “no place for violence” in the debate.

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

The Equality Campaign released a statement saying it condemned the violence and there was “never a place” for abuse.

“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,” the group said.

“Our campaign has always and will continue to call for respect and everyone involved in this debate to act in a respectful and dignified way.”

Ours is a campaign of hope, respect and unity. Our actions should reflect that.

Violence is never acceptable.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) September 21, 2017

Tasmanians United for Marriage Equality also said the “Yes” campaign should not be judged by the actions of one person.

Spokesman Rodney Croome urged people to act with “respect and restraint” as “when this postal survey is over, we will still have to live side-by-side as Australians”.

“This attack on Tony Abbott, like any violence on the basis of political belief, is beneath contempt and has no place in Australian public debate, especially when that debate is about love, commitment, tolerance and respect,” he said, while noting other threats against “Yes” campaigners from the “No” side.

Bolt, who first reported the incident, said Mr Abbott had described his alleged attacker as having “tatts and that sort of stuff”.

The presenter said Mr Abbott had told him he was “kicking himself over whether he should have punched him”.

This afternoon, Mr Abbott shared pictures from a lunch in the Tasmanian capital where he had met with “No” campaigners.

It’s not the first time in his political career the former PM has been assaulted.

Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio he had been “thumped” back in about 2007 when he was health minister.

“I was actually thumped when I visited the forensic psychiatric hospital in Victoria,” he said.

“One of the hospital patients punched me, as I was later told, because he was under the impression I was his dad.

“This is the first time I’ve been subject to any physical violence for about 10 years.”

He also famously threatened to “shirt-front” Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2014 over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.