Responding to the discharge without conviction and permanent name suppression of a man who punched a 71-year-old woman in the head at a protest last year, ACT MP Laura Trask says:
“Today’s discharge without conviction is a tragedy for women.
“A 71-year-old woman attending a women’s rights event was physically attacked by a man who thought his political opinion trumped her right to safety. Using violence to suppress opinions you disagree with is a singularly ugly act, and this discharge without conviction sets a disappointing precedent for the consequences of political violence.
“ACT will continue to advocate for a country where freedom of speech is protected at all costs, and where using violence to suppress this fundamental right is punished accordingly.”