MELBOURNE—Australian police said they were investigating after 17-year-old teen, Will Connolly, smashed an egg on a controversial far-right Australian lawmaker who had blamed New Zealand’s mass mosque shootings on the country’s immigration program.
The footage shared widely on social media, showed Sen. Fraser Anning being approached from behind at a political event on Saturday, March 16, before having an egg cracked on the back of his head.
The footage showed Anning appearing to try to hit Connolly before Connolly was dragged to the ground.
Victoria Police released a statement saying the incident was being investigated “in its entirety” and that it involved a 17-year-old boy.
Anning has received widespread condemnation following comments he made saying the cause of New Zealand’s worst peacetime shooting was letting “Muslim fanatics” migrate to the country.
“(Anning’s) conflation of this horrendous terrorist attack with issues of immigration, in his attack on Islamic faith specifically, these comments are appalling and they’re ugly and they have no place in Australia,” Australia’s Prime Minister Morrison told journalists Saturday, March 16.
Morrison took Connolly’s side, telling reporters Anning should be charged for slapping the 17-year-old teen: “The full force of the law should be applied to Senator Anning,” said Morrison, according to The Telegraph.
Calls to Anning’s electoral and parliamentary offices went unanswered on Sunday.
A GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $19,000 (US$13,500) for the teenager to cover the cost of legal fees and so he could “buy more eggs” by Sunday and the hashtag #EggBoy was trending on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Australia’s immigration minister announced on Saturday that controversial conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos would not be allowed to enter Australia following Yiannopoulos describing Islam as a “barbaric” and “alien” religion.
Whatever you think about her, Candace Owens had nothing to do with what happened in New Zealand. People aren’t…
“Mr. Yiannopoulos’ comments on social media regarding the Christchurch terror attack are appalling and foment hatred and division,” Immigration Minister David Coleman said in a statement.
Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday after 50 people were killed and dozens wounded in mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques.
By Will Ziebell
