Caught on camera: UK MP assaults woman protestor, slams her to a wall, then pushes her by the neck
In a statement, Mark Field, who has since been suspended, said he had been ‘genuinely worried’ that the Greenpeace activist may be armed.
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. pic.twitter.com/zX2BtcPW4t
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) June 20, 2019
If the public perception of the Conservative Party leadership in the UK wasn’t low enough already, a video showing one of its senior ministers manhandling a woman Greenpeace protestor and pushing her by her neck has surfaced on the internet.
In the video, Mark Field who was a Foreign Office minister – he has since been suspended by outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May – can be seen angrily slamming the woman into a wall and then forcefully escorting her out as others in the room watch.
The incident took place on Thursday, at a high profile dinner in London’s landmark Mansion House, where Finance Minister Mark Hammond was addressing ministers and leaders of the country’s financial services on Brexit and banking regulation.
The dinner was interrupted by Greenpeace protesters who shouted slogans about climate change. Mostly women, dressed in red dresses with sashes that said “climate emergency”, the protestors sought to delay Hammond from speaking.
Hi @jeremycorbyn Greenpeace activists just drowned out @PhilipHammondUK’s #MansionHouse address on live TV w/ a speech that tells the truth about how to tackle the #ClimateEmergency. Business as usual is over!
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) June 20, 2019
Please share this video pic.twitter.com/jyZUoEYI9V
In a subsequent statement Field said he reacted instinctively and had been “genuinely worried” that the protestor may have been armed. He said he “grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible”, adding: “I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologise to the lady concerned for grabbing her but in the current climate I felt I needed to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present”, reported The Guardian.
There was a chorus of protests against Field from the political establishment.
This is horrific. Conservative Foreign Office Minister Mark Field violently grabs a woman as she protests about climate change at the bankers’ banquet.
— (((Dawn Butler MP))) (@DawnButlerBrent) June 20, 2019
This appears to be assault. He must be immediately suspended or sacked. Due to Violence against women.https://t.co/fjy6HZXyyG https://t.co/mM8hJ47ult
This is totally unacceptable. https://t.co/yp9cIfJe25
— Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) June 20, 2019
Brandon Lewis Conservative party chair told the Brtish media that the event had been referred to an internal committee for investigation.