UK junior minister suspended after grappling with eco-protester

By Costas Pitas

 

British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field speaks during a briefing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Samrang Pring/Files

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A junior foreign office minister has been suspended pending an investigation after grabbing a female demonstrator by the neck and pushing her when a climate-change protest interrupted a speech by Britain's finance minister.

 

Several women prevented Philip Hammond from speaking for a few minutes by using loudspeakers to shout slogans during an annual banquet in London's landmark Mansion House building on Thursday evening.

 

Footage posted online by broadcaster ITV showed foreign office minister Mark Field grappling with one of the women and holding her by the back of her neck as he marched her out of the room.

 

He subsequently apologised but a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday Field had been suspended from his responsibilities whilst an investigation takes place.

 

"The prime minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning," she added.

 

Field told ITV his response was due to fears over security.

 

"In the current climate, I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present," he said in a statement.

 

His office did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

 

The main opposition Labour Party's spokeswoman for women and equalities Dawn Butler said Field should be immediately suspended or sacked. "This is horrific," she wrote on Twitter.

 

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said it had organised the protest in the heart of the capital's banking district, accusing the finance industry of funding climate change and the finance ministry of trying to water down government action to mitigate it.

 

It criticised Field's response to the demonstrator.

 

"I don't see any justification for the kind of violent behaviour that we saw from him last night. It's an extremely shocking and concerning state of affairs," said Rebecca Newsom, Head of Politics at Greenpeace UK.

 

The City of London Corporation is looking again at its procedures after Thursday night's incident.

 

“We are investigating last night’s breach of security at Mansion House and will be reviewing arrangements for future events," said a spokesman.

 

(Additional reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-22

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25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Field told ITV his response was due to fears over security.

 

Perhaps the UK should provide their ministers security details when their members meet to give speeches.  Then the ministers would be less compelled to take matters (and necks) into their own hands when they feel 'threatened' by women with loudspeakers.  ????

He can always get a job as a nightclub bouncer if he is sacked by TM.

Should have pulled her over his knees and given her a good spanking.

The main opposition Labour Party's spokeswoman for women and equalities Dawn Butler said Field should be immediately suspended or sacked. "This is horrific," she wrote on Twitter.

 

If the Labour Party wants to know what horrific really means they should ask the people who live in the socialist paradise of Venezuela.

Sir Peter Bottomley nailed this yesterday in several TV interviews including on BBC's Victoria Derbyshire. In all interviews he completely demolished whatever they threw at him no matter how hard they tried.

 

The Full Monty plus additional background:

 

Edited June 22, 20197 yr by evadgib
added the full clip

"Horrific"?

 

I thought he did well....Sure sent a message to others....Anyone would think he broke her nose with a swift uppercut....

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Field told ITV his response was due to fears over security.

"In the current climate, I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present," he said in a statement.

This man chose to act physically against the woman. I bet you 10 baht that if it had been a fit young man instead of an out-of-shape lady he would have preferred to let the actual security personnel handle it...

He did not "act decisively", he acted because he was irritated and there was no chance of him getting his ass handed to him by this lady on TV.

31 minutes ago, roquefort said:

The main opposition Labour Party's spokeswoman for women and equalities Dawn Butler said Field should be immediately suspended or sacked. "This is horrific," she wrote on Twitter.

 

If the Labour Party wants to know what horrific really means they should ask the people who live in the socialist paradise of Venezuela.

A bit of transatlantic whataboutary.

28 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

"Horrific"?

 

Yes, violence against a woman.

 

What’s as bad is the support he’s given for his behavior.

Just forgot he was not at Madame Suzy's BDSM dungeon that's tomorrow easy mistake to make in this government????  

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yes, violence against a woman.

 

What’s as bad is the support he’s given for his behavior.

Where was the violence, she was frogmarched outside...If the BiB were called similar probably would happen, though would be her hands touching her neck...????

These women should of been handled only by other women (security) though it should of never got to that point anyway, somebody dropped the ball. Terrible optics and the continuing chaos in the political system is embarrassing. The MP looks like he's getting off on it, must treat his wife lovingly. lol 

Farage got a milkshake thrown at him few weeks ago...so why the UK can't protect it's ministers properly?? Well done boy!

31 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yes, violence against a woman.

 

What’s as bad is the support he’s given for his behavior.

Violence? He frog marched her out of the room. She got what she deserved, she was trespassing at a private function. Poor dear will probably say she's suffering from PTSD and require counselling at the taxpayer's expense..

27 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yes, violence against a woman.

 

What’s as bad is the support he’s given for his behavior.

Sorry, but this day and age, she was a potential threat to the speaker and, whether male or female, must be treated accordingly.

This "violence against women" theme cannot be used as a defence by her and her supporters because of the fear levels that pervail in society today.

Sadly, that is what the world has become. We may not see this in our personal little environments, but when politicians or dignitaries are attacked and even killed we must see things from their point of view.

The man did what was right, she could have been carrying a knife or any other weapon for that matter, I shudder to think of the consequenses if she had a milkshake vest attached to herself, the guests in the auditorium could have been completely splattered.

15 minutes ago, newatthis said:

Sorry, but this day and age, she was a potential threat to the speaker and, whether male or female, must be treated accordingly.

This "violence against women" theme cannot be used as a defence by her and her supporters because of the fear levels that pervail in society today.

Sadly, that is what the world has become. We may not see this in our personal little environments, but when politicians or dignitaries are attacked and even killed we must see things from their point of view.

If the woman had been any threat to his safety he wouldn't have gone near her. 

Could have been a suicide bomber, some white woman have insanely become Muslim converts. You cannot leave security to chance these days, should have kicked her arse on the way out.

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

If the woman had been any threat to his safety he wouldn't have gone near her. 

.....................He acted in defense of those around him....

46 minutes ago, Youlike said:

Farage got a milkshake thrown at him few weeks ago...so why the UK can't protect it's ministers properly?? Well done boy!

Farage is not, neither was and hopefully never will be a minister of Government.

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

These women should of been handled only by other women (security) though it should of never got to that point anyway, somebody dropped the ball. Terrible optics and the continuing chaos in the political system is embarrassing. The MP looks like he's getting off on it, must treat his wife lovingly. lol 

Equality.

How should someone react if someone uninvited wants to create trouble?

And does it depend if the intruder is a man or a women, and maybe their nationality?

Imagine a young Arab would have crashed the party. Or an older man with a trench coat.

 

He grabbed and removed an intruder. He did it swiftly and he didn't shout for security to help him. And he made sure the intruder did not create too much trouble while she was removed. And except of maybe a little bruised neck she won't have any injuries. As far I am a concerned his behavior was reasonable - and it does not matter if he is a politicians or not and which political views he has.

19 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Could have been a suicide bomber, some white woman have insanely become Muslim converts. You cannot leave security to chance these days, should have kicked her arse on the way out.

Except this was at a conference about climate change - hardly the most likely place for one of the extremely rare muslim, white women, converts....  Do you seriously think this is why he man-handled her in this way?

 

 

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How should someone react if someone uninvited wants to create trouble?

And does it depend if the intruder is a man or a women, and maybe their nationality?

Imagine a young Arab would have crashed the party. Or an older man with a trench coat.

 

He grabbed and removed an intruder. He did it swiftly and he didn't shout for security to help him. And he made sure the intruder did not create too much trouble while she was removed. And except of maybe a little bruised neck she won't have any injuries. As far I am a concerned his behavior was reasonable - and it does not matter if he is a politicians or not and which political views he has.

Except it wasn't a young arab....

 

Trying to deflect to 'it could have been' when it clearly wasn't - doesn't help your case.

23 minutes ago, transam said:

.....................He acted in defense of those around him....

Disagree entirely.

 

He was annoyed, and pulled out the heavy handed card as he knew she wasn't able to fight him!

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yes, violence against a woman.

 

What’s as bad is the support he’s given for his behavior.

Sounded suspiciously like a deserved slow handclap to me.

25 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Except it wasn't a young arab....

 

Trying to deflect to 'it could have been' when it clearly wasn't - doesn't help your case.

You've missed the point entirely. All this fuss is because the intruder was a woman. She was removed with reasonable force and had she not been a woman this "story" would have received no attention whatsoever.

8 minutes ago, roquefort said:

You've missed the point entirely. All this fuss is because the intruder was a woman.

You are correct, the fuss is because the intruder was a woman.

If the intruder was, let's say a mid-twenties male MMA fighter type with the same weight as the portly Junior Minister, except that weight in bones and muscles instead of flab, then the good Junior would have hidden behind one of the ladies at his table while quietly trying to alert security.

Just an assumption of course, maybe he would have frogmarched that one out, too...

1 hour ago, Basil B said:

Farage is not, neither was and hopefully never will be a minister of Government.

I don't see. it that the poster was saying he was a minister with the .... However he is an MEP and like all politicians should not have to put up with violence.

 

As for Nigel not being a. minister... well it won't be too long now.