'You get tackled by bogans': Teen who egged senator speaks out

A 17-year-old boy who was caught on camera egging controversial Senator Fraser Anning has spoken out about the incident.

The teenager, from Hampton in Melbourne’s southeast, later posted a video on social media, which was shared by a journalist.

“Don’t egg politicians, you get tackled by 30 bogans at the same time – I learnt the hard way,” the boy, who has been identified on social media as Will Connolly, said in the video.

Senator Anning was at a speaking engagement at a venue in Roberna Street at Moorabbin.

While speaking the media, the 17-year-old cracked on egg on the back of Senator Anning’s head.

Senator Anning lashes out by hitting the boy twice in the face before the teen is tackled to the ground.

The teenager was arrested, but has since been released pending further inquiries.

Victoria Police said the incident is being actively investigated “in its entirety” including the actions of the 69-year-old man and others.

This comes after Senator Anning blamed Friday’s attack in New Zealand, which killed 50 people, on Muslim immigration.

“As always, left-wing politicians and the media will rush to claim that the causes of today’s shootings lie with gun laws or those who hold nationalist views but this is all cliched nonsense,” the senator said in a statement.

“The real cause of bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place.”

Anning’s comments get widespread condemnation

Australia’s major parties are planning to formally censure the senator when parliament returns in April and Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he should face “the full force of the law”.

Asked about Senator Anning’s comments, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was blunt: “They were a disgrace”.

New Zealand High Commissioner Annette King said her country rejected absolutely Senator Anning’s sentiment.

“We just condemn what he said and I’m absolutely delighted that his comments were condemned from the very top of government here in Australia and by the people of Australia,” she told reporters in Canberra.

However, she said it was up to Australians to decide if he was fit to be an elected representative.

Government Senate leader Mathias Cormann and his Labor counterpart Penny Wong will jointly move a motion to censure Senator Anning “for his inflammatory and divisive comments … which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people”.

They will ask the Senate to call on all Australians to publicly condemn actions and comments designed to incite fear and distrust.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said extreme right-wing politicians could not disown their hatred, racism and intolerance.

“You who want to practice in the name of free speech hate speech, you who hide behind liberty to practice evil, well you have created this swamp of hate,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“You cannot disown what crawls out of your swamp.”

Mr Shorten said the egging was a silly thing to have done.

“It doesn’t matter what rubbish the politician was spouting, you don’t want to give this foolish politician, this hurtful politician any sense of the moral high ground because he has none,” he said.

Senator Anning used his Facebook page to thank those who had supported him.

He made several more anti-Islamic posts and complained about “the backlash of the establishment media and globalist politicians”.

Senator Anning came to the Senate in late 2017 to replace One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts, who was found to have been a dual citizen and ineligible for election.

While Senator Anning ran on the One Nation ticket at the 2016 poll, he quit the party minutes before being sworn-in after falling out with leader Pauline Hanson.

He was roundly condemned after invoking the phrase “final solution” in his first speech to parliament – a reference to the Holocaust – and again after attending a far-right rally in Melbourne where participants made Nazi salutes.

Senator Hanson – who has previously described Islam as a “disease we need to vaccinate ourselves against” – wrote on Facebook that while the shooting spree in Christchurch must be condemned, she was concerned that “the damage caused to conservative views on immigration by alleged gunman, Brenton Tarrant will drive debate underground”.

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