Australian police say they will not investigate the Tony Abbott location leak (VIDEO)
Australian prime minister Julia Gillard is rushed out of a Canberra restaurant by security officials after she was confronted by an angry mob.
The Australian Federal Police said it would not investigate the leak of opposition leader Tony Abbott's location that led to security officials dragging prime minister Julia Gillard to safety from protesters, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Video footage shows Gillard surrounded by police officials and being rushed to safety by her personal body guard during a ceremony that was crashed by Australia Day tent embassy protesters.
Gillard was with Abbott at a Canberra restaurant for an awards ceremony when some 200 protesters encircled the building and banged on the restaurant’s windows, yelling “shame” and “racist” at Abbott. A shoeless and distressed Gillard was rushed outside to a car after the protests continued on for more than 20 minutes, according to the BBC.
The protesters who are indigenous rights supporters were reportedly tipped off that Abbot suggested Canberra’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy should be torn down. Aboriginal rights is an extremely sensitive issue in Australia.
The AFP said it would not investigate because "no evidence of a criminal act was identified."
Gillard’s media adviser Tony Hodges resigned Friday after it was discovered he was the person who gave wind of Abbott’s whereabouts. Gillard, however said Hodges did not say or suggest that Abbot had called for any such actions, the Australian Associated Press reported.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Gillard's news conference addressing the incident:
Ms Gillard said journalists at the event had told Mr Hodges that Mr Abbott had made comments earlier in relation to the tent embassy and called for people to move on.
"Mr Hodges in having received this information from journalists waiting at The Lobby restaurant formed the view that these comments should be responded to," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne.
The Prime Minister said Mr Hodges first contacted ACT Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Chris Bourke. When Dr Bourke was unavailable he was referred to ACT Unions secretary Kim Sattler.
Ms Gillard said Mr Hodges spoke to Ms Sattler by phone. "Mr Hodges accurately conveyed to her the statement made by Mr Abbott," the prime minister said."At no point did Mr Hodges say to Ms Sattler that Mr Abbott had suggested that the tent embassy be torn down or removed in any way."
Abbott suggested Gillard had a hand in the ceremony’s disruption, which caused the prime minister to fire back.
''For it to be insinuated that I would play some role in disrupting an event to recognise Australians who had performed miracles during a natural disaster is deeply offensive,” she said. ''And it is absolutely typical of Mr Abbott's negativity and his tendency to go too far.''
Aboriginal leaders condemned the protesters “in the strongest possible terms.”
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