Anti-Islam group Q Society dinner disrupted by protesters in Melbourne
Updated
More than 100 protesters have disrupted a secretive fundraiser for the far-right group Q Society in Melbourne, where Liberal defector Cory Bernardi and Nationals MP George Christensen are speaking.
The location of the dinner, called Defending Freedom of Speech, has not been revealed and buses were organised at St Kilda to transport attendees.
A number of media organisations, including the ABC, have been invited to attend.
Protesters tried to confront those attending, crowding around a bus, chanting and preventing it from leaving.
Pushing and shoving also broke out as they shouted "This man is a racist", as one person tried to board. Another man in a suit was pushed away.
After about an hour, the protesters cleared the way and the bus left for the dinner.
The Q Society is vehemently anti-Islam, and has described Halal certification of food as a tax that benefits terrorism.
The fundraiser is being held to fund a defence against a defamation case brought against a member of the group by the president of the Halal Certification Authority.
Fairfax Media reported a cartoon by Larry Pickering showing the rape of a woman in a niqab by her son-in-law was auctioned off at a fundraiser in Sydney on Thursday night.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale called on the Prime Minister to prevent Mr Christensen, part of the Coalition party room, from speaking at the dinner.
"Malcolm Turnbull needs to pick up the phone and instruct George Christensen not to attend the hateful Q Society event," he tweeted.
South Australian senator Cory Bernardi, who quit the Liberal Party this week to start his own political group, has regularly voiced his disapproval of Islam.
He is also against birth control and in 2012 questioned whether gay marriage would lead to bestiality.
Protesters chanted and held signs that read "Muslims are welcome racists are not".
Topics: government-and-politics, community-and-society, melbourne-3000, vic
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