‘Yes’ Campaigner Professor Charged for Spitting on ’No' Voter

AEC and Vote Yes signage at an early voting centre for the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 2, 2023. AAP Image/Joel Carrett

A “Yes” campaigner for The Voice referendum in Australia has been charged after allegedly spitting on a “No” supporter.

Australian National University (ANU) Emeritus Professor Denise Ferris has been charged with common assault following the spat on Sept. 17, Daily Mail Australia reported.

A video widely shared on social media shows Ms. Ferris spitting on Andrew Thaler after he was heard calling her a “stupid mole” in Cooma New South Wales (NSW).

Ms. Ferris then returns to a tent with “Vote Yes” campaigners and threatens to call the police.

Denise Ferris is pictured at a campaign event for The Voice in Sept. 2023 X/@clowndownunder

[video width=“480” height=“270” mp4=“https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2023/10/12/id5508699-Professor-Denise-Ferris-2.mp4”][/video]

A woman on camera in front of a tent at an event for The Voice in New South Wales, Australia in September 2023 (X/@clowndownunder).

Ms. Ferris has lectured in photography since 1987 and her online profile at ANU states she has been head of the School of Art and Design since 2013.

Mr. Thaler  ran as an independent candidate for Eden Monaro at the 2022 Federal election.

NSW Police Respond

A NSW Police spokesperson t0ld The Epoch Times a 70-year old woman has been charged with common assault.

“On Sunday 17. Sept. 2023, police were called to Centennial Park, Cooma, following reports of an assault. Officers attached to Monaro Police District were told three people had been involved in a physical altercation,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said.

“No injuries were reported. Following inquiries, officers issued a 70-year-old woman with a court attendance notice for the offence of common assault about 4pm today (Wednesday 11 Oct. 2023).

The woman is due to appear at the Cooma Local Court on Nov. 22.

Denial from Professor Ferris

Prof. Ferris, who was wearing a Yes23 campaign at the time, is heard saying “don’t stalk me, go away, I am calling the police.”

Ms. Ferris even went as far as denying spitting on Mr. Thaler in a statement to the media after the incident.

“I was more than terrified, he was literally in my face, I had a visceral response, a panic attack, fight or flight. I did not spit on him,” she told NewsCorp.

“I wanted to block his camera without engaging in physical contact. Flight? Am I to turn my back on him—no way, too scared of his actions, it was so traumatic.”

The Voice Campaign Continues

Australians are set to head to the polls on Oct. 14 to vote at The Voice referendum. Early voting has been underway for two weeks. Voting is compulsory for all Australians over 18 years.

The referendum will ask Australians to alter the constitution to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told media on the weekend he will respect the decisions of Australians and not legislate on The Voice if the referendum fails to get up.

“If Australians vote No, I don’t believe that it would be appropriate to go then and say, ‘Oh, well, you’ve had your say, but we’re going to legislate anyway,’” he said.

A Newspoll released this week showed only 34 percent support for The Voice, with the No vote at 58 percent. Support for the No vote has lifted 8 percent, while only 8 percent of voters are unsure how to vote, the poll showed.