Guy Gives Aussie PM the Finger, Gets Arrested

Man apparently thought Malcolm Turnbull pushed ahead of him in the bar line
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 21, 2018 10:40 AM CDT
Aussie Fined $190 After Giving PM the Finger in a Pub
In this April 23, 2018, file photo, Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull addresses the media during a joint statement with German Chancellor Angela Merkel prior to a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin.   (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

A man upset that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was being served at the bar before him gave the PM the finger—and ended up arrested and hit with a $190 fine. The unnamed guy (police, amusingly, describe him as "an angry landscaper," per news.com.au), apparently angry at the PM's group for cutting ahead in line at the bar during a "meet the locals" event near Brisbane Thursday night, was photographed flipping the bird behind Turnbull's head. He allegedly "became abusive to a group at the bar due to the group being served before him," police say, per the Guardian. According to news.com.au, Turnbull's security detail pushed the man away from the PM; shopping center security guards detained him; and ultimately police were called. The man, who's reportedly 26 or 27 years old, was fined for "failing to leave a licensed premises."

Former Aussie pol Sam Dastyari decided to help the guy out: "I found the bloke who got fined $250 for telling the PM to piss off. Sending him $250 worth of beer," he tweeted (the $250 is in Aussie dollars), along with a link to a GoFundMe campaign titled Australia Owes This Man a Beer. "Pitch in $5 and buy him a beer. WHERE ARE THE FREE SPEECh WARRIORS ON THIS?" The campaign has exceeded its goal, with most commenters expressing support for the finger-flipper: "Giving someone a gesture is not a crime, but pushing in at the bar should be," said one. As for Turnbull, he told reporters after the event, "There was one gentleman there who clearly had had, err, a few drinks too many. And I think he was, ahhh, he was assisted in making an early return home. Which is probably where he should have gone earlier in the evening, as I'm sure he's worked out by this morning." (More weird crimes stories.)

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