The teenager from Melbourne also said that despite reading Anning's statement, he had initially attended the press conference with an open mind.



Connolly told The Project's Hamish Macdonald: "Not many people know this, but I actually went in there to listen to him for an hour, see if he'd change my mind as I'm a pretty forgiving person and in my mind I wanted to forgive him. But then he started saying some more things which I'm not going to quote — you can watch the livestream if you want to hear that — which empowered me to egg him."

When asked if he would describe himself as an activist, Connolly responded, "I don't know much about politics at all. I'm not pro any specific religion, I'm just pro humanity."

The incident, which has now been viewed by millions, showed Connolly striking the Queensland senator with an egg. Anning responded by punching the teenager twice in the face.



Anning was restrained while his supporters stepped in to tackle Connolly to the ground and hold him in a chokehold.

The response was criticised by some as excessive and disproportionate. Connolly told Macdonald that the incident unravelled quickly but his reaction was to "stay calm" and "not to resist."

When asked if he felt like he deserved to be hit by Anning, Connolly was measured in his response, saying: "I understand what I did was not the right thing to do. I can understand why some people would react the way they did."

The teenager was in agreement with some critics who condemned his actions as an inappropriate way to deal with a serving politician, saying, "There's no reason to physically attack anyone."

He said that his mother was also not entirely in support of his actions: "She's glad I stood up for what I believe in, but she definitely disagrees with the way I did it."