The CEO of Australia’s flag carrier airline was attacked with a lemon meringue pie at a business breakfast event in Perth, Western Australia on Tuesday.
Alan Joyce of Qantas Airways (QUBSF) said he has “every intention of pressing charges” against his attacker, who shoved the pie in Joyce’s face as he began speaking at the Business Leadership Matters event at the Hyatt Regency hotel, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports.
The pie-wielder, a 67-year-old man identified as Tony Overheu, targeted Joyce due to his support for marriage equality, according to ABC. Joyce was one of 20 Australian executives who signed a petition in March urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to legalize same-sex marriage.
Overheu told the broadcaster that Joyce was “trying to subvert the federal parliamentary process around the issue of marriage equality” and accused him of “bulldozing” middle Australia.
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After stepping off-stage to clean up, Joyce finished his speech on Qantas’ recent decision to launch a non-stop service between Perth and London.
