A man who hit British Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn on the head with an egg earlier this month has been sentenced to 28 days behind bars.

Key points: The man was reportedly a Brexiteer who struck Mr Corbyn for wanting to stay in the EU

The man was reportedly a Brexiteer who struck Mr Corbyn for wanting to stay in the EU He pled guilty to assault charges and was fined $210 in addition to a 28-day jail sentence

He pled guilty to assault charges and was fined $210 in addition to a 28-day jail sentence The incident follows a similar attack on Senator Fraser Anning, where no charges have been laid

CCTV footage showed John Murphy, 31, approach Mr Corbyn — who was visiting a Muslim community centre with his family on March 3 in northern London — before cracking an egg on the side of his head.

"Although Mr Corbyn was not seriously hurt, Murphy had come with a number of eggs that he could have used had he not been detained quickly," said Kevin Christie, District Crown Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service.

It is reported that Murphy was a Brexiteer who shouted "respect the vote" while egging Mr Corbyn for pushing to remain in the European Union while calling for another referendum.

"Whilst I am in a very public role, it is often very painful to see my wife, my sons and my wider family suffer deep stress because of my role and because of this attack upon me," Mr Corbyn said in a statement read out in court.

British police pressed assault charges against Murphy, who pleaded guilty and was jailed for 28 days and made to pay a 115 pound ($210) victim surcharge.

The conviction comes in close proximity to an Australian incident where a 17-year-old — who identifies himself only as Will — egged Queensland senator Fraser Anning in the wake of comments about Muslim migration.

The senator said Muslim migration to New Zealand was a catalyst for a Christchurch massacre that killed 50 worshippers.

The Australian teenager cited these comments as the reason for his egg attack.

While Will was arrested by police after the attack, he was released without charge and it is still unknown whether Senator Anning or police will press charges.

Not everybody agrees that 'the law is the limit'

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 5 minutes 46 seconds 5 m The teenager told The Project what he did was wrong.

The teenager has since told Network 10's The Project that he was wrong to egg Senator Anning, but maintains that he was "disgusted" by the senator's comments.

"There's no reason to physically attack anyone," he said, adding that he could "understand why some people reacted the way they did".

Will added that he originally attended Senator Anning's meeting "to see if he could change [his] mind" while adding that he "thought the world should be supporting all [the Christchurch attack victims]".

Video of Senator Anning's egging shows that Will was simultaneously recorded the attempt with his smartphone, whereas Murphy's egging was captured by CCTV.

The similarity of the two incidents has led to comparisons between how the two incidents were handled, as well as leading observers to question what exactly prompts certain types of civil disobedience to be celebrated or quashed.

"John Murphy just received a 28-day jail sentence for attacking the democratic process. So why hasn't Corbyn received the same for going against democratic process?" one Twitter user wrote.

While the BBC reported that Murphy said he was "perfectly happy to go to jail" amid the polarising backlash, in some parts of the Australian community, Will has been praised as a hero.

Some have weighed in that the proximity and rawness of the Christchurch attack as well as Will's younger age — being a teenager versus a 31-year-old man — make the incidents somewhat incomparable, even though they both involve egging politicians.

Others said Murphy's case was actually classified as assault, rather than simply an egging.

For writer and social commentator Nayuka Gorrie, someone's appraisal of civil disobedience often depends on context and subjectivity.

"I don't think breaking an egg over someone's head is particularly violent," they said.

"But what I'm comfortable with is very obviously very different to what someone else is comfortable with.

"I think some people think the law is the limit, whereas others don't think the law is the limit."

For Gorrie, the ability to be flippant, or even welcoming about certain types of civil disobedience, also says more about the underlying power structures that determine what is "in" and what is not.

ABC/Reuters