A high profile lawyer has called for Senator Fraser Anning to be charged after he took a swipe at a protester who egged him during a press conference.
A heated confrontation between Mr Anning and a 17-year-old was caught on camera on Saturday after the boy broke an egg on the Senator’s head.
In the footage from the event in Moorabbin, Melbourne, the independent Queensland senator appears to slap the boy across the face multiple times.
Adam Houda, a lawyer who has defended men charged with terrorist-related offences in the past, is now demanding Mr Anning face charges for his actions.
High profile lawyer Adam Houda has called for Fraser Anning to be charged after he took a swipe at a protester who egged him during a press conference
On twitter, the high profile lawyer said it was a clear case of assault on a child.
‘I’ve just seen the footage of the Fraser Anning egging. Anning reacts by assaulting the young man. The police are now obligated to charge Anning,’ he tweeted.
‘I’ve been a lawyer for over two decades and in my opinion there is no argument that Anning was acting in self-defence.’
Video footage from the event showed the young man approach Mr Anning from behind, as he spoke in front of a camera.
The young man, who filmed the altercation, then slammed an egg onto the back of the senator’s head. Anning then spun and took a swipe at the youngster.
A short scuffle ensued before the young man was tackled to the ground by other members of the public.
Mr Houda, who is the former lawyer of Sydney Lindt Cafe siege gunman Man Haron Monis, has offered to represent the teenager free of charge.
Adam Houda, known as the go-to lawyer for men charged with terrorist-related offences, is now demanding Mr Anning face charges for his actions
Fraser Anning took a swipe at a left-wing activist at a protest rally after the 17-year-old cracked an egg on his head
Senator Anning said the real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets on Friday is the immigration program that allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place
‘The video evidence is clear. Anning has NO defence. I’ll be monitoring the situation carefully.
‘I’ve never chased a client, but I’ve put it out there that I’m happy to help him (pro bono) It’s now up to him and his parents.’
The teen, from the affluent Melbourne suburb of Hampton, was arrested at the scene and removed from the premises. His details were taken before he was released.
Victoria Police released a statement saying they are continuing to investigate the incident ‘in its entirety’ including the actions of Mr Anning and others.
Disturbing footage has also emerged showing Mr Anning’s supporters holding the boy to the ground in a choke hold as others taunted the teen.
‘You are nothing but a weak f****** human being’ a man could be heard saying.
Mr Anning has been slammed by politicians for his extremist stance, as Australians pay their respects to the victims of terrorist attack (pictured: man who egged Anning)
Another man could be heard saying to remove his hand from the boy’s neck.
The egging came a day after Mr Anning released a statement where he blamed Muslim immigration for the terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday, where 49 people were killed.
‘The real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place,’ his statement said.
He faced wide-spread backlash following the release of his statement.
A Change.org petition calling for Mr Anning to be removed from parliament has been signed over 250,000 times.
‘Senator Fraser Anning has no place in the government of our democratic and multicultural country,’ the petition says.
Attendees of the event held the young man on the ground after the physical altercation
A short scuffle ensued before the man was tackled to the ground by other members of the public
‘We request that he be expelled from his position as Senator, and investigated by law enforcement agencies for supporting right wing terrorism.’
The petition speaks about Mr Annging’s statements about the Christchurch attack.
‘We call on the Australian government to expel this man who blames victims for their own violent deaths, and uses references to genocide to further his hateful agenda,’ the petition said.
‘There is no place in Australian government for Neo-Nazis. There is no place for bigotry. There is no place for hate speech.’
Politicians have roundly condemned Mr Anning for his comments.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also hit out at the independent senator’s comments in a tweet on Friday.
‘The remarks by Senator Fraser Anning blaming the murderous attacks by a violent, right-wing, extremist terrorist in New Zealand on immigration are disgusting. These views have no place in Australia, let alone in the Australian Parliament.’
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke told the ABC ‘the normalisation of bigotry is something that is not only confined to him’.
‘We need to call it out, we need to make sure that no way any member of parliament fosters it. He wants the conflict and he wants the notoriety,’ he said on Saturday.