A teenage boy cracked an egg on the head of a far-right Australian politician as he spoke to reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. In the footage, Queensland Sen. Fraser Anning is shown immediately turning and striking the boy in the face before taking another swing.
Anning was giving an interview to News 7 Sydney when the boy smashed the egg on the side of his head. After Anning threw the two punches, the two were separated and the boy was tackled to the ground by other men. Victoria Police said they arrested the boy but later released him without charge.
Police said they are still investigating the incident, including the actions of Anning and others at the scene.
Anning was heavily criticized Friday after he blamed Muslim immigration for the terror attack at two mosques in New Zealand that left 49 people dead. “The real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place,” he said in a statement.
Many praised the teen on Twitter, giving him the nickname “Egg Boy.”
“We thank you greatly for your bravery because you’ve done more than what the Australian government has done about racist senator Anning, bless your soul,” one user wrote.
Anning was also criticized for tweets he posted following the shooting. “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?” he wrote.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly condemned Anning’s comments on Friday.
“In his 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, in the Australian Parliament,” Morrison said. “He should be, frankly, ashamed of himself.”
A change.org petition calling for Anning’s removal from Parliament has received over 450,000 signatures since Friday.
