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| 'He headbutted me': Tony Abbott says he was assaulted by yes campaigner | 'He headbutted me': Tony Abbott says he was assaulted by yes campaigner |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The former Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, has been assaulted in Hobart. | The former Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, has been assaulted in Hobart. |
| He says he was headbutted by a yes campaigner as he was walking towards his hotel, leaving him with a slightly swollen lip. | He says he was headbutted by a yes campaigner as he was walking towards his hotel, leaving him with a slightly swollen lip. |
| He was in Tasmania on Thursday lunching with campaigners who are opposed to same-sex marriage, including his Liberal party colleague Eric Abetz. | He was in Tasmania on Thursday lunching with campaigners who are opposed to same-sex marriage, including his Liberal party colleague Eric Abetz. |
| Abbott told the story to Steve Price and Sky News host Andrew Bolt on Melbourne’s 3AW radio on Thursday. | |
| “I was walking from the Mercury office across that docks area, that beautiful docks area in Hobart, towards my hotel,” Abbott said. | |
| “A fellow sung out at me ‘Hey Tony!’ I turned around, there was a chap wearing a Vote Yes badge. He says ‘I wanna shake your hand’. I went over to shake his hand and then he headbutted me. | “A fellow sung out at me ‘Hey Tony!’ I turned around, there was a chap wearing a Vote Yes badge. He says ‘I wanna shake your hand’. I went over to shake his hand and then he headbutted me. |
| “Now he wasn’t very good at it I’ve gotta say, but he did make contact. The only damage was a very, very slightly swollen lip. | “Now he wasn’t very good at it I’ve gotta say, but he did make contact. The only damage was a very, very slightly swollen lip. |
| “I was with a member of my staff [who] briefly grappled with this guy, and he then ran off swearing his head off basically. | “I was with a member of my staff [who] briefly grappled with this guy, and he then ran off swearing his head off basically. |
| “It was just a reminder of how ugly this debate is getting,” he said. | “It was just a reminder of how ugly this debate is getting,” he said. |
| His spokesman said the incident occurred while he was walking in the street and he sustained minor injuries. | His spokesman said the incident occurred while he was walking in the street and he sustained minor injuries. |
| “He didn’t have a blood nose or break his nose or anything like that,” the spokesman said, before refusing to elaborate on the incident or injuries. | “He didn’t have a blood nose or break his nose or anything like that,” the spokesman said, before refusing to elaborate on the incident or injuries. |
| Malcolm Turnbull called Abbott as soon as he heard and left a voicemail. He also called Andrew Colvin, the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, according to a spokesman. | |
| Price said Abbott was lucky to have a witness because some yes campaigners would accuse him of making the story up if he didn’t. | |
| “Oh without a doubt,” Bolt said. | |
| Bolt later talked about the incident on his Thursday evening Sky News program, utterly condemning the attack. | |
| Australian Associated Press contributed to this report | Australian Associated Press contributed to this report |