An ex-Australian prime minister was giving a speech when socialist activists barged in and started yelling profanities at him and his audience.
Just after 1 p.m. on Thursday, Socialist Alliance protestors invaded Malcolm Turnbull’s presentation at Sydney University’s legal lecture series, yelling, chanting, and screaming.
Even though he was directly in front of Turnbull, an angry man protester shouted “how can you come here?” at the scared politician using a loudspeaker.
In an effort to diffuse the situation, he also threatened a female employee who was wearing a hijab.
The same guy temporarily stood at the platform and said, “F*** off back to Mosman,” to the astonished crowd before turning to Turnbull and shouting, “F*** off back to Wentworth as well.”
Turnbull shrugged and seemed ashamed at not being able to be heard above the yelling and megaphone.
At some point, NSW police had to be contacted.
Turnbull’s address was moved to an online platform, and they closed the annex door.
At first, Sydney University staff members, including two guys in hi-vis jackets, seemed unclear about how to manage the agitated demonstrations.
In the midst of the screaming and commotion, it was hard to understand the specific arguments being made by the protesters as they screamed, “Malcolm Turnbull get out, we know what you’re all about.”
However, it seemed as if they were specifically criticising Turnbull for being a speaker on the alumni speaker series at Sydney University Law School.
He had nothing “of importance to say to you for the next hour,” a lady who was speaking through a megaphone once again informed the gathering.
She said, “He is absolutely different from the other folks who have been invited to this series.”
Turnbull told the audience the protesters had “demonstrated how little regard they have for any of you by coming in here with loudhailers” when he was eventually granted a few seconds to answer.
He was promptly called to the floor.
Turnbull earned a law degree from Sydney University in 1978 and then received a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University.