Conservative MP seen manhandling female climate change protester at Mansion House event

[Denzil_DC]

Video has emerged of a Conservative MP manhandling a climate change protester who interrupted Philip Hammond‘s Mansion House speech.

Mark Field can be seen standing up from his chair and grabbing the woman as she walks past him, before pinning her against a pillar and marching her away.

As the pair passes the camera the MP is seen gripping the woman’s neck tightly.

None of the Greenpeace-affiliated protesters were arrested over the disruption to Mr Hammond’s address, City of London Police said.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mark-field-video-climate-change-protester-female-mansion-house-greenpeace-a8968241.html

Link to tweet

BBC Newsnight ✔
@BBCNewsnight

Footage shows foreign office minister Mark Field MP removing a protestor from the Mansion House dinner earlier this evening.

“It looks to be a very difficult situation for everyone concerned,” says @AlistairBurtUK #newsnight | @KirstyWark

Link to tweet

Paul Brand ✔
@PaulBrandITV

In this longer version of the video, you can see the woman apparently posing no immediate threat as she passes behind Mark Field. He marches her out of the room by her neck. I wasn’t there, so I can’t say she didn’t pose a risk, but it looks heavy handed.

After a media furore erupted, Field released a statement:




Field would like us to know that we can't trust our lying eyes, which show the woman walking, not even that briskly, past some diners who don't even react, until Field turns around in his seat, grabs at her, pushes her heavily into a pillar, then grapples with her clumsily before shoving her forcefully and frogmarching her towards the exit while gripping her by the neck. (Had she indeed been armed, leaving her hands free as he did would mean we'd now likely be discussing the deceased MP for the Cities of London and Westminster. As it is, we may be discussing the ex-MP etc. etc.)





Footage from moments earlier and a different angle shows other protesters being intercepted and escorted out rather less brutally:

Link to tweet

Ian Fraser ✔
@Ian_Fraser

This is the moment climate change protestors disrupted "Spreadsheet" Phil Hammond's Mansion House speech (just before Mark Field MP appeared to assault one of them)

There's been no identification so far of the protester, and no indication whether she's suffered lasting ill effects.

As Foreign Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Field's boss is Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, whose campaign team is unlikely to be happy about their prime ministerial candidate having to answer some awkward questions tomorrow concerning what he intends to do about it. Meanwhile, some of the pathetic excuses and even cheers of approval being spouted by certain Tory MPs aren't reflecting well on them or their party.

[Eugene]

1. Police receive reports of assault after minister grabs climate protester

Source: The Guardian

Police receive reports of assault after minister grabs climate protester

Calls for Mark Field to resign over Mansion House incident while another Tory MP reports abusive messages from party colleague

Kevin Rawlinson
Fri 21 Jun 2019 00.21 BST First published on Thu 20 Jun 2019 21.34 BST

The Conservatives have been plunged into controversy after a video showed a minister grab and manhandle a protester who disrupted the chancellor’s Mansion House speech.

Police began looking into the incident on Thursday night after footage seemed to show Mark Field pushing the female Greenpeace activist against a pillar and grabbing her neck. There were calls for Field to lose his position as a Foreign Office minister. In a statement, he apologised to the woman and said he would refer himself to the Cabinet Office over the incident.

It came as a separate scandal threatened the party as Antoinette Sandbach said she was sent messages by an unnamed fellow Conservative MP demanding she leave the party. Senior Tories condemned the messages and pledged to investigate.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/20/greenpeace-activists-target-philip-hammond-speech-in-climate-protest

[Denzil_DC]

2. Mark Field suspended as minister after grabbing climate protester by neck

Mark Field has been suspended as a Foreign Office minister after a video showed him pushing a female Greenpeace activist against a pillar and grabbing her neck while she protested at the chancellor’s Mansion House speech.

Police are investigating third-party reports of assault made against Field, who has since apologised to the Greenpeace protester and referred himself to the Cabinet Office. The MP for the Cities of London and Westminster said he felt threatened when the protester went past him and was worried she might have been armed.

Dozens of Greenpeace activists disrupted Philip Hammond to draw attention to the climate crisis as the chancellor prepared to deliver his set-piece address in the City of London, video footage of the incident shows.

...

Labour called for Field to resign after the incident, with the shadow women and equalities secretary, Dawn Butler, calling the incident “horrific”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/mark-field-suspended-as-minister-after-grabbing-climate-protester-by-neck

Mark Field urged to quit as minister after grabbing climate protester
...

The Conservative party chairman, Brandon Lewis, said the incident had been referred for an internal investigation, telling ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday: “It’s very hard not to be astonished by what you’ve seen.”

...

The Liberal Democrat former cabinet minister Sir Ed Davey called on Field to resign from the government. “No ifs, no buts about this. The sight of some penguin-suited Tory minister behaving in a violent way towards a female Greenpeace activist absolutely stinks.”

...

The Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley defended Field, saying the activist “was trying to create a fuss. Most viewers would say it’s good that she didn’t succeed.”

Last month, Field delivered a speech at a Westminster Hall debate in which he decried violence against and intimidation of female activists across the world.

Link to tweet

Mark Field MP ✔
@MarkFieldUK

The UK remains committed to helping women all over the world to feel safe and protected in the work they do, so they can speak freely and be part of the change we all want. My remarks at the Westminster Hall Debate on Women Human Rights Defenders. https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-05-07/debates/3C9476AD-C53B-4067-B576-07D632EE846E/WomenHumanRightsDefenders …

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/20/greenpeace-activists-target-philip-hammond-speech-in-climate-protest

Field's suspended pending inquiries. I doubt the Tories are going to want this to rumble on for that length of time, not least because a number of their spokespeople and supporters are stinking up social and mainstream media with revolting defences of his conduct.

Boris Johnson's team, on the other hand, may be loving it. If Johnson ever bothers to face the press again, I guess he may be asked about it.

[Denzil_DC]

3. Greenpeace activist: 'Mark Field needs anger management'

Bruised and still shaken, Janet Barker is incredulous at the violent reaction of the Foreign Office minister Mark Field to her peaceful protest with fellow Greenpeace activists at the chancellor’s Mansion House speech.

However, she has no plans to press criminal charges over the physical assault. “I think it is something best dealt with in the court of opinion,” she said, while welcoming his suspension as a minister.

Barker said she had been trying to deliver leaflets to guests on Thursday evening when she was grabbed by the neck and arm and forcibly ejected by Field, despite her pleas for him to release his grip and allow her to walk from the dining hall.

...

“He continued to grip me by the neck and the arm all the way to the door of the building. Then, when we got to the door, he shoved me outside on to the street, and said: ‘This is what happens when people like you disturb our dinner.’”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/21/greenpeace-activist-mark-field-needs-anger-management