Former PM John Howard mobbed by protestors
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard was fiercely heckled on Thursday, after bumping into a trade union protest on cuts to penalty rates in the Sydney CBD.
Rallies organised by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) saw thousands protest in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane yesterday. The 77-year-old landed smack bang in the middle of the Sydney protest after exiting a conference in the CBD, and has to be “rescued by police” as protestors harangued the former PM.
A range of videos have been shared on social media depicting Mr Howard walking down Pitt St flanked by NSW policemen as noisy protestors make their point heard.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was highly critical of the actions of the protestors, tweeting after the run in, “I condemn CFMEU's thuggish harassment of John Howard today. A reminder of why ABCC is needed.”
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten echoed the PM’s sentiment when asked if he thought the behaviour was an appropriate way to protest, saying, “No, of course not.”
The CFMEU issued a statement arguing Mr Howard had “walked into the rally” which was, “peacfiul but loud”, adding, “From the footage we have seen, it appears some protesters made their views known to Mr Howard about anti-worker laws he introduced while prime minister, as a result of which he lost an election and his seat.”
What’s your take? Are the protestors well within their rights to have their points heard? Or is it a disrespectful way to treat a 77-year-old former prime minister?
Hero image credit: Twitter / 7 News
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