Police are investigating an alleged assault that was captured on camera during a “freedom” protest in Canberra on Friday.
In the footage, which has been shared on social media, a male protester appeared to grab a woman after she asked the group to move their vehicles off a footpath.
The man had delivered an anti-vaccine speech to small crowd of protesters gathered outside the ABC studios in Dickson.
Some members of the group had driven their trucks and cars over the footpath onto the lawn outside the studio, waving red Australian flags.
In the video, apparently filmed by a bystander, the woman who was allegedly assaulted repeatedly told the group of men they weren’t allowed to be on the footpath.
She appeared to grow increasingly agitated as the male protesters ignored or spoke over the top of her, before she ran in front of a truck that was driving onto the lawn, waving her arms in front of it.
“Get the f— off the footpath. Get out of here. Get off the footpath and park in the carpark like civilised people,” she yelled.
The male subject of the alleged assault complaint then appeared to grab the woman and twist her arm before the pair spun around and she pulled away from him.
Another male protesxjmtzywter yelled at her through a megaphone: “How dare you touch a veteran. Get the hell away from him.”
In the footage, the woman said she was trying to defend herself while the other protester continued to shout over her through the megaphone.
ACT Police on Saturday confirmed they had received a complaint in relation to an alleged assault that took place about 4.15pm Friday on Wakefield Ave.
Police are asking anyone with information that could assist them in their investigation to contact Crime Stoppers.
