A far-right Australian senator got an egg smashed on his head by a youth and had to be restrained by security officials after punching the boy protesting his offensive comments about the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.
He was holding a news conference on Saturday in Melbourne city.
Queensland Senator Fraser Anning drew international condemnation for his efforts to blame the attack on immigration.
Anning had said in a statement, the attack which killed the worshippers in southern New Zealand city was the result of Muslim immigration into the country.
Around 49 Muslim worshippers were killed on Friday in mosque shootings.
Amid the controversy, the 17-year-old boy slapped an egg on the back of Anning’s head.
The senator hit him in the face repeatedly before he was stopped by security guards.
Senator Fraser Anning came under sharp criticism over tweets including one that said: “Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?”
A police statement said the boy was arrested but was released without charge pending further enquires.