Tony Abbott said he was head butted by a same-sex marriage supporter in Tasmania on Thursday amid a divisive national survey on whether same-sex marriage should be allowed in Australia.
The BBC said the incident happened while the former Australian leader was campaigning for a “no” vote.
“A fellow sung out at me ‘Hey Tony’, I turned around, there was a chap wearing a ‘Vote Yes” badge,” Abbott told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
“He said ‘I wanna shake your hand.’ I went over to shake his hand, and then he head-butted me.”
Abott told the station that he was with a member of staff when the attack occurred.
“The member of my staff briefly grappled with this guy. He then ran off swearing his head off, basically.”
A 38-year-old man identified as Hobart DJ Astro Labe has since been arrested for the attack, police confirmed.
“The man was charged with one count of Common Assault following a police investigation into a complaint made by Tony Abbott MP,” Tasmania Police said in a statement.
He was granted conditional bail to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court Oct. 23.
Labe was not afraid to speak out about the matter, telling The Mercury that the entre incident had nothing to do with the same-sex marriage debate but was instead fueled by a strong disliking for Abbott.
He claimed to have been drinking at a hotel at the Hobart waterfront when he saw the liberal MP walk past and decided to approach and head-butt him.
Labe added that he would apologize in court for his actions but his opinion that Abbott was a “worm” and “evil” remained.
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