Voice referendum: Shocking moment a No supporter is repeatedly called a racist by an irate Yes campaigner at a polling booth
A No supporter in the Vote referendum was allegedly called a ‘racist’ by a Yes campaigner in an angry confrontation outside a polling booth.
The incident happened outside the polling station near Bourke Street Primary School, in Bourke Street, Surry Hills, in inner Sydney about 9am on Saturday.
No campaigner Bella d’Abrera claims she confronted the man after he repeatedly called her a racist during the shocking exchange she filmed.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms d’Abrera said she was standing outside a polling station when the man approached her and allegedly began verbally abusing her.
“I was standing in my ‘No’ hat and my ‘No’ t-shirt and he walked past me and turned around and said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that you’re a racist,'” she said.
Ms d’Abrera said the man – whom she had never met before – ‘got in her face’ during the exchange and a short time later returned and shouted at her in an indigenous language.
“A (person) who was voting had to come and stand next to me, a taller guy… and (he) told him to leave me alone.”
“It got pretty hairy.”
A Yes campaigner (pictured) allegedly called a No voter a ‘racist’ outside a polling station in Surry Hills, in inner Sydney on Saturday morning, which left the woman ‘shocked’.
Ms d’Abrera also claims that some Po activists were nearby when the fight took place and did not intervene to stop the man who was abusing her.
“He was surrounded by all the ‘Yes’ women,” she said.
“None of the Yes women came to my defense… they justified it.”
She said she was left ‘shocked’ by the horrific ordeal and felt intimidated by the encounter.
“I was staying silent… I didn’t even offer him a ‘No’ card,” Ms d’Abrera said.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Yes23 for comment.
The incident was reported to police after Ms d’Abrera informed officers before the man left the scene.
She said the man allegedly shouted at another No activist.
The man (pictured) launched a shocking tirade against the No campaigner on several occasions while the woman was campaigning outside a polling station near a primary school.
Bella d’Abrera (pictured) detailed her terrifying experience outside a polling booth on Saturday and claimed the man physically assaulted her during the confrontation
Ms d’Abrera, who is Director of the Foundations of Western Civilization Program at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the man’s alleged actions represent the division that PO advocates have created during the referendum campaign.
“This is exactly why we should vote against this (The Voice).” Mrs. d’Abrera affirmed.
“Everyone needs to know what the outcome of this referendum is… what has been done to society and I saw it first hand this morning.”
“It’s really bad and it’s really unnecessary.
Footage seen by Daily Mail Australia shows the man, who is wearing a light gray jumper and a pair of black shorts, addressing Ms d’Abrera directly as she films him.
“You’re so racist,” the man says.
The man aggressively points his finger at the camera as Ms d’Abrera records his brazen act on her phone.
“You’re a racist,” he says.
He then slides off the camera with his left hand, forcing the woman to cover herself before the video ends.
Moments later he is confronted by an unknown man who appears to come to Mrs. d’Abrera’s aid.
“What’s your problem, she’s not doing anything mate,” says the man.
“She’s a racist,” he replies before covering his face with a white paper while blocking the camera.
He then appears to object to the footage as he continues to call Ms d’Abrera a racist.
The man tried to shield his face from the camera with a piece of white paper (pictured) while Ms d’Abrera recorded the man’s tirade on her phone
Footage seen by Daily Mail Australia shows the man pointing at the camera (pictured) as he repeatedly calls Ms d’Abrera a ‘racist’ and a bystander steps in to de-escalate the situation.
“You’re an idiot fellow, what are you doing this for,” says the bystander.
‘Racist, you’re racist,’ says the man.
The male bystander is heard saying that the man has no right to be in the woman’s face, which the man dismisses and claims that he is indigenous.
“I’m not right,” he asks, “I’m Aboriginal.”
The man later confronts the woman while speaking in an indigenous language.
“Excuse me, what else did you call me before,” asks Ms. d’Abrera.
‘Because you are a racist’, the man replies.
He then leaves as Mrs d’Abrera is heard saying “and what else… so I’m racist and…”
A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that officers from Surry Hills Police Area Command responded to reports of the incident.
“The police were told that a man and a woman had made comments to each other regarding the referendum, but no attack was reported to the police.
“The incident did not happen at the school, but about 30 meters from the entrance of the voting center.”
No one has been charged.
Meanwhile, in Adelaide a man was spotted removing “No Campaigning” signs outside the front gates of a school with polling stations just hours away from closing.
Footage captured by a passing motorist showed the woman removing the posters outside Grange Primary School, about 12 kilometers west of Adelaide, just after midday.
A man was seen removing No campaign posters (pictured) outside an Adelaide primary school just hours before voting closed for the Voice referendum
The woman can be seen tearing up a poster before walking away holding several signs, while nearby cars could be heard honking.
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