A man has been charged with common assault after hurling a tub of yoghurt at 7:30 host Leigh Sales when she was giving a speech on Sunday.
The ABC Journalist was giving a talk for the Disrupted Festival of Ideas at the State Library of Western Australia in Perth when a tub of yogurt was thrown with force from the audience towards Sales on stage.
In shocking footage captured on video, the tub of yoghurt can be seen flying at Sales and crashing into the podium she was standing in front of. It makes a crashing sound, with both the 46-year-old and the audience shocked and confused by what’s happened.
Members of the audience can be heard gasping as Sales stepped aside from the podium in disbelief. A man could then be seen yelling and being taken away by security.
“Wow,” the TV host says in the footage — which was live streamed on Facebook. “Thank you very much to our security people for dealing with that.”
She also confirmed that she was “totally fine” as staffed removed the yoghurt from stage. She was asked if she needed to take a moment but continued to give the speech.
“I’m quite happy to go on. If everyone else is alright, I’m quite happy to go on.”
Audience members took to social media to confirm the attack. One person wrote: “Leigh Sales…An inspirational speaker and such a professional despite being showered with yogurt partway through her talk.”
Another said: “Whatever differences one has with public figures, and yes members of the media are public figures, this behaviour is totally unacceptable. @leighsales deserves respect for making a contribution to a festival of ideas and discussion.”
A spokesperson from The State Library of Western Australia told the Sydney Morning Herald that security and police were at the scene.
“We can confirm that a member of the public threw a small tub of yoghurt in Leigh Sales’ direction,” the spokesperson told the publication. “She reacted remarkably professionally and the show went on.”
The 49-year-old man in question is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on August 27, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Meanwhile, Sales has taken to Twitter to describe the attack as “minor”.
“Oh dear, have just landed from the Perth-Syd flight to a kerfuffle over something minor – thanks for the concern, I’m totally fine!” she assured her fans. “Just relieved everyone at the festival was okay and thank you to security, police, audience etc.”
https://twitter.com/leighsales/status/1155425339914350592