Tony Abbott has criticised the “disgraceful behaviour” of protesters after violent scenes erupted at his Sydney fundraising event on Friday night.
Several hundred protesters opposing Australia’s offshore detention system outside the event in Redfern confronted invited guests, including Mr Abbott’s sister Christine Forster, whose jacket was ripped as she struggled through the crowd.
Ms Forster was forced back from the entrance until police formed a ring around her and pushed their way through the crowd.
Mr Abbott criticised the actions of protesters and defended his sister on twitter on Saturday morning.
“Disgraceful behaviour by protesters last night. Denying Australians’ real rights to uphold the supposed rights of boat people,” one tweet said.
“My sister is herself a brave campaigner for rights and should never have been assaulted.”
Disgraceful behaviour by protestors last night. Denying Australians’ real rights to uphold the supposed rights of boat people. 1/2
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) November 10, 2017
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also attended the fundraising event, but both he and Mr Abbott managed to elude protesters and were not seen entering the venue .
One protester was pushed over by a man arriving at the fundraiser, before police were able to intervene.
NSW police confirmed at least three people had been arrested during the protest.
Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, who was at the protest, defended the protesters and said the refugees on Manus Island needed to be evacuated.
“What was full-on was the police, the police have mishandled tonight,” Ms Rhiannon told AAP.
“We’re here standing with the 600 men on Manus Island, I’m angry, so many people are angry.”
Earlier, Fairfax Media reported Ms Forster as saying she was pushed and shoved as she moved through the crowd with her partner, Virginia Edwards.
“Essentially people surrounded us, they were spitting, they were snarling,” Ms Forster told Fairfax.
“It was extraordinary, it was a riot with people screaming in our faces, trying to spit at us, trying to punch us.”
“I had about about three or four people grabbing onto me to try and stop me from getting in and in the course of that my jacket got shredded,” she said.
“That is not what political protest is about in Australia.”
The protest was held to oppose Australia’s offshore detention system and called on the Immigration Minister to restore services to the now-closed Manus Island detention centre and bring the remaining asylum seekers to Australia.
The Australian Government officially closed the detention centre on the Papua New Guinea Island on October 31.
The ABC reported that protesters with loudspeakers harassed and berated guests, with police forced to intervene several times.
Hundreds of protesters used whistles and pots and pans and shouted “Abbott, Dutton, blood on your hands” and “Shame on you” to the guests, who often had to fight their their way through the crowd, the ABC reported.
Hundreds of people also marched through central Melbourne earlier in the evening calling on the federal government to help the refugees at the detention centre.
The rally began at the State Library before heading along Swanston Street.
– with AAP/ABC
