A One Nation staffer has allegedly been hospitalised with a broken rib after she was punched and spat on while attempting to ignore a group who called her a “racist c—” at Brisbane’s Ekka Royal Queensland Show last Friday, a party spokesman said.
The grandmother, aged in her 60s, was said to be wearing One Nation-branded clothing when the attack occurred at the state’s annual agricultural exhibition.
One Nation party director James Ashby said the woman had “one broken rib” and “enormous bruising” after being targeted by three young women and a man as she walked towards the party’s display stand.
Mr Ashby told The Australian the group allegedly hurled “derogatory comments” at the woman, including calling her a “racist c—” and an “ arrogant c—”.
“But because she tried to continue walking, that’s when the girl stepped in and spat on her and then the male in their company grabbed her by the wrist and aggressively flung her around and then punched her in the ribs as well,” Mr Ashby added.
He said the woman was discharged from hospital at 2am on Saturday and has since spoken with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson on the phone.
A One Nation spokesman claimed “police are investigating the incident” and were “going to be looking at CCTV footage” from the venue.
In a statement, Queensland Police said officers were aware of the altercation, though no formal complaint had been lodged as of Monday night.
Mr Ashby said that the staffer was still considering whether to make a formal complaint to police, although he condemned the alleged incident.
“There should be no excuse for people committing this sort of behaviour against somebody that you don’t agree with politically,” Mr Ashby said.
“I would never condone this to occur to any politician or any political staffer, whether they be the Greens, Labor, the Coalition, or our own people.
“I don’t care how much you disagree with somebody. You never ever allow it to get physical.”
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce also condemned the attack and hit out at the thousands of school students who skipped school last Thursday to protest against Senator Hanson and her party.
“This is the wondrous, enlightened people like you saw at those demonstrations the other day. The peace-loving people,” Mr Joyce told Sydney radio station 2GB.
“The reason they do that is they absolutely hate One Nation; they had chants the other day that they wanted to murder Pauline Hanson.”
Mr Ashby also directed criticism at Anthony Albanese, accusing the Prime Minister of failing to condemn threats made against Senator Hanson.
He said two One Nation candidates, both women, had withdrawn from the Victorian state election “because of their fear of their own safety”.
“Where was the Prime Minister calling for the temperature to be turned down on student activism on our streets that was spewing absolute vitriol and hatred and calling for, again, the harm caused to a woman in politics?” he said.
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