Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lucy Bladen

Libs go to police after corflute vandalised with Nazi symbols

The Canberra Liberals have gone to the police after a candidate's corflute was vandalised with Nazi symbols.

Karen Walsh, a candidate for Murrumbidgee, had a swastika drawn on one of her corflutes, alongside a Hitler moustache.

The public display of Nazi swastikas was outlawed in the ACT last year after legislation passed the Legislative Assembly.

"We actually had a candidate who had a Nazi symbol also placed on their corflute and that has been reported to police because that is a criminal offence," Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said.

Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said a number of Liberal candidates have had their corflutes vandalised. Pictures supplied

Amardeep Singh, also a candidate in Murrumbidgee, had one of his corflutes graffitied with the words "bomb squad" and "blow sum shit up" (sic).

Ms Lee said a number of Liberals had their corflutes vandalised.

"You always expect a little bit of argy-bargy but I have to say that in my experience this election and the targeting of corflutes, especially the Liberal corflutes, has been incredibly disappointing and concerning especially the personal way they have been attacked," she said.

Amardeep Singh's defaced corflute. Picture supplied

Photos also show a number of corflutes belonging to Mark Parton with a penis drawn over his face. Others had the word "NO" drawn over his face and the devil horns.

"These are actions that are unnecessary and it is something that really does have a huge impact because for the candidate it's very personal," Ms Lee said.

Karen Walsh's defaced corflute. Picture supplied

"I think the beauty of democracy is we live in a country... that everyone has the right to have a say and despite our political differences we should not be seeing any kind of vandalism."

Interference with other parties' election campaign material has long been a feature of territory politics.

Corflutes across the city have been damaged, defaced and removed during the election campaign.

Canberra Liberals president Nick Tyrrell last month warned any party member found to have destroyed, defaced or tampered with another Liberal candidate's election material maliciously would be expelled from the party.

"I am sure it will not come to that, as we recognise that we are all on the same team, but in light of issues in previous elections the decision was made pro-actively," Mr Tyrrell wrote in an email to members.

Former Liberal MLA Candice Burch had a number of her corflutes destroyed at the last election, which prompted an internal party investigation.

Then then Young Liberal president Ben Dennehy was accused of destroying her corflutes and resigned from the party following a preliminary probe.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.