Tony Abbott is using the attack to fuel the No campaign.

A straight 38-year-old man from Hobart has been charged after allegedly headbutting Tony Abbott. The man is said to have approached the former PM wearing a Vote Yes badge, and asked him for a handshake to initiate the attack.

The man has been extremely vocal about the attack being personal, rather than a statement for the Yes campaign (“[It] was just a lifelong ambition to headbutt a fascist because I’m a skinhead that likes ska music and hates fascism. He’s an evil c—, I’m an anarchist and I believe in human rights.”)

This hasn’t stopped Abbott from milking this for all it’s worth.

Pick any stranger off the street, ask them to name the top ten people that deserve a smack in the face; guaranteed, old mate Tones will be in there.

As much as we all wish we could headbutt Tony Abbott, and as hilarious as it is to watch him sook on every news channel about his “very very slightly swollen lip,” it’s important that we a) condone this, and b) do not attempt any kind of copycat.

Even though the man wasn’t driven by marriage equality, clearly this isn’t the time to making such crass demonstrations of any motivation.

Abbott has, unfortunately, very cleverly used the attack to the advantaged of the fear-mongering No campaign.

Abbott has said that people who want to condemn the assault on him should vote No in the marriage equality survey.

“If you don’t like political correctness, vote No, if you don’t like being pushed around by activists, vote No,’ he said. “If you don’t like the kind of intimidation that is creeping into our society the only safe thing you can do is Vote No and tell these people they have to treat our values and our institutions with respect.”

“I worry about the brave new world of same sex marriage if this is how some of those most enthusiastically working towards it are behaving.”

“There is no doubt that there has been some ugliness as part of this debate but I regret to say that nearly all of it has been coming from one side, and that is the people who tell us that love is love.”

Acts of violence such as these make a terrible name for the cause we’re fighting for, and are sure to turn swing voters against us.