A CROWD OF angry protesters trapped the Australian prime minister during an event in Canberra yesterday to mark Australia Day.

Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were at a restaurant in Canberra when a crowd of around 200 people gathered outside shouting “shame” and “racist”.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Aboriginal activists accused Abbott of inciting riots and are calling for an apology.

The two politicians, who had been officiating at an award ceremony for members of the emergency services, were trapped inside the building until riot police were able to escort them out of the building. The Herald Sun reports that protesters ran after their car as it drove away.

Footage of the incident shows protesters scuffling with police as Gillard and Abbott are rushed out of the building:

(Video via unclewooly)

The prime minister’s personal security guard held on to her and stopped her from falling as she stumbled on her way out of the restaurant.

The protests centred on comments made by Abbott regarding the nearby Aboriginal Tent Embassy, first set up in 1972 in reaction to the government’s refusal to recognise Aboriginal land rights. Activists objected to Abbott’s recent comments that things had changed in Australia since the embassy’s founding and that it was “time to move on from that”.

Some protesters said later that they had not realised Gillard was in the restaurant with Abbott.

Australia Day marks the arrival of the first British colonists in Sydney in the 18th century and many Aborigines consider it ‘Invasion Day’ because land settlements were carried out without an agreement with traditional owners.

- Additional reporting by the AP