The NSW Liberal Party has vowed to take disciplinary action after a branch meeting in Sydney‘s south devolved into a violent brawl last night, with one witness saying they thought a victim was going to die.
An eyewitness told the ABC the meeting at an Arncliffe café turned violent just before 7pm as a group attempted to conduct a “hostile takeover” of the party’s branch.
They said a few members verbally and physically harassed others in attendance, before an woman was pushed to the ground and “trampled on”.
A man reportedly stood up for the woman, but he was quickly “ganged up on”.
“They took him outside and started kicking him,” the eyewitness said.
“To be honest I thought he was going to die.”
A man in his 40s was admitted to St George Hospital with minor injuries.
NSW Police issued a statement saying they are attempting to work out exactly what happened at the meeting, and how many offenders were involved in the violent altercation.
The Liberal Party has also issued a statement, vowing to cooperate with police in their investigation and announcing their own internal inquest into the brawl.
A senior Liberal Party source said the fight was centred around control of the party body which picks local councillors, and was a “tragic internal shit fight brought about by the pettiness of politics”.