The elderly man was taken to hospital in a serious condition with head injuries. He was reportedly wearing a Make America Great Again hat and tried to vandalise a corflute before the attack.

Macquarie Park sits inside the seat of Bennelong, which was won by Labor in 2022 and is tipped to be a key battleground electorate at the 3 May poll.

Police arrested the man nearby. He was given bail and will face Burwood Local Court on 2 June.

“Neither affected the continued operation of polling activities.”

Confrontation at a community event

One woman in the audience threw a punch at one of the protesters, she said.

Monique Ryan said there were increasing incidents of “right-wing rabble-rousers” disrupting community events. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Ryan labelled the men “right-wing bullies” and said their demonstration was “stupid, pointless posturing”.