The NSW Liberal Party has vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible for a budget-eve brawl at a southern Sydney branch meeting.
Police were called to Naji's Cafe on Firth Street at Arncliffe just before 7pm on Monday and said officers saw "numerous people running from the location".
A man in his 40s was taken to St George Hospital with minor injuries, while an older woman was allegedly pushed to the ground.
A witness told ABC the altercation was an attempted "hostile takeover" of the branch.
"Just before the meeting started, there was an altercation where some people were intimidating and swearing and pushing and shoving of the others who belonged to the meeting," the witness, who did not wish to be identified, said.
"Others outside were blocked from entering the meeting."
Another witness told 9NEWS the brawl broke out after people blocked the entrance to the meeting.
The brawl broke out a Liberal Party branch meeting at a cafe in Arncliffe, in Sydney's south. Source: Nine Network
“There was an altercation when some members … were basically intimidating and swearing at the others who belong to the branch and were invited to the meeting,” the witness, who did not want to be named, said.
“One of the older ladies stood up and said ‘don’t push me, don’t swear at me’ and they were getting abusive at her and other gentleman tried to stop them abusing her, and they ganged up on him and took him outside and using tables and chairs to bash him. To be honest, I thought he was going to die."
Branch members were heading into the kebab shop for an "administrative meeting", a Liberal Party spokesman told AAP on Tuesday.
Police were called to Naji's Cafe in Arncliffe just before 7pm on Monday. Source: Nine Network
The fight, believed to be between factions, erupted as members were trying to enter the meeting to vote on whether to create a new branch in the area.
A man calling himself Andrew, who claimed to be a branch member, told 2GB Radio on Tuesday he was denied access by a group of members blocking the entrance.
The spokesman said the organisation was cooperating with police.
"An internal investigation will also be undertaken and disciplinary action taken against those responsible," he said in a statement. "The Liberal Party strongly condemns the kind of behaviour that is alleged to have occurred."
It came ahead of Tuesday's state budget, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet expected to unveil a surplus for 2017/18 of $3.9 billion.
Share
