Elderly man wearing MAGA hat allegedly assaulted at polling booth in PM's electorate
An elderly man who allegedly attempted to deface an Anthony Albanese corflute at a polling booth in the prime minister's Sydney electorate has been seriously injured when a 17-year-old boy allegedly assaulted him.
The man in his 80s wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat reportedly attempted to vandalise the corflute outside the Ashfield Civic Centre in the seat of Grayndler around 1pm.
Nine News reports that a political volunteer had asked the elderly man not to deface the signage when he reportedly became aggressive.
The 17-year-old, who was passing by, then allegedly approached the man and struck him, causing him to fall to the ground.
The elderly man was treated on the scene by paramedics before being rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.
The teenager was arrested at the scene on Liverpool Road and taken to Burwood police station, where he is assisting police with their inquiries. He isn't believed to have any official political affiliation.
A number of other witnesses, including campaign volunteers, have given witness statements to the police, who established a crime scene and collected several corflutes for forensic examination.
A spokesperson for the Australian Electoral Commission said the incident 'occurred outside of our polling place and did not involve any AEC staff'.
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