Second female lawmaker in Australia threatened days after alleged car attack
Melbourne: A man was charged on Thursday with threatening an Australian lawmaker’s staff with nunchucks days after another legislator was critically injured when a man repeatedly hit her with a car. Nunchucks are a controlled weapon used in martial arts consisting of two or more batons joined by a cord, rope or chain, according to Western Australia state law. Nunchucks can only be carried in…
Two Australian female lawmakers have been threatened in recent days, amid heightened concerns about the safety of women in politics. John Lawrence Smart, 56, was charged on Thursday with entering the office of Western Australian state government minister Hannah Beazley, brandishing nunchucks, while Beazley was absent. The man was heard yelling and refused to enter a plea.
Meanwhile, Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent lawmaker, remains in critical condition after a man repeatedly struck her with a car in Victoria on Monday. Haines had both legs amputated due to the incident. Police continue searching for a motive behind the attacks, which have raised concerns about the increasing toxicity of political debate and the risks faced by female politicians in an era of highly accessible lawmakers and social media-driven aggression.
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