Channel 4 undercover re Farage

We know who the man is. He was wearing a name badge. He was filmed committing the assault. It would appear that Stephen Cooling has somehow got away with it. I can’t help wondering if some palm greasing has happened. After all there’s upward of £72 million in the slush fund.

Still with the excuses

@DuncinToffee

You make a lot of excuses to justify what happened.

If the outcome of the police investigation is that someone is found guilty of wrongdoing, then they will have to face the consequences. It’s called the application of the UK justice system. I recall saying that before, possibly on one of the other threads about Farage.

Its almost three weeks since the Reform Party conference took place in Birmingham, but so far:

The woman who was attacked has not come forward

There have been no arrests.

In today’s world of technology and face recognition, police access to photos of people who have drivers license and passports, I would have thought that would have happened by now.

And yet this man, an anti migrant protester, got 2 years for throwing a plastic bottle at police and swearing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8vgy7ww21rqo

Any half decent man would denounce it.

It’s bizarre that someone can seek to trivialise what happened to that protester, comparing it to a wedding brawl.

This type of cavalier attitude comes from the top, Farage who would like to lead this country and Jenrick who rather than denounce the attack said he had no sympathy for the protester being hit with a zimmer frame by a pensioner.

I cannot imagine any half decent politician not denouncing what we all saw that day even if there are no resulting criminal convictions.

Indeed. And they don’t wash.

Are you seriously comparing that to what happened at the Reform conference?

Maybe you enjoy a bit of a fight, but what happened at the conference was assault.

You make a lot of excuses to justify what happened.

@DuncinToffee

One person already has been cautioned

Yes. After they voluntarily accepted to be interviewed as opposed to being arrested.

Police are only allowed to issue a conditional caution for minor crimes. So, whatever the person who received the caution did, it was considered a minor, as opposed to a major, crime.

The fights I have seen at weddings had one thing in common. They occurred after the reception meal when alcohol was free flowing.

I was a child at the time, but my father gave the reason as:

Alcohol loosens tongues. The truth of the past comes out in to the open. The fight begins.

The most recent I saw was an Indian wedding in Malaysia. All guests seem to be involved, make and female. Hotel staff did not alert the police as they thought it was good fun too. Not aware of any serious injuries.

At this wedding, were there a lot of people surrounding one woman, pulling her hair, hitting her with a stick and grab her around the neck?

And you stood there laughing?

You were a bystander. I assume you were not the Vicar nor responsible for the event.

One person already has been cautioned

And because this has only happened at a Reform conference. Other parties get this dealt with without violence.

You’re right that it is security’s job, so, I don’t know why there is any excuse for members of the public to be putting their hands on these young women.

When a heckler was treated roughly by security at a Labour Party conference way back when, the Labour Party publicly apologised. If Nigel Farage had any respect for the customs and history of our democracy - which include a fundamental right to free speech and freedom to protest - then he’d do the same.

Exactly. Trained security staff, not old men with walking sticks and women pulling hair. There’s no alleged about it. The incident is on film.

@DuncinToffee

The word alleged comes from the West Midlands Police website.

@Thezookeepersneice

I have laughed at several wedding receptions when fights broke out.

Security were present at the conference. So, it’s their task to deal with altercations in the audience, not the speakers.

Because the Leader of Reform UK purports to want to be the Prime Minister of this country, and yet he appeared to stand on stage laughing while these particular assaults took place. Normalising violence should not be considered acceptable behaviour from a senior politician.

There is nothing 'allegedly' about the assaults.

Up to year ending 26 March 2026, the police recorded 1.3 million assaults. Link is:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/latest

That’s almost 150 per hour. So, considering the frequency of assaults in the UK, why have those that allegedly took place at the Reform Party conference attracted so much attention?

But that’s the point @MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack - Reform leaders and supporters, and presumably this poster, seem to think that the protesters got what they deserved regardless of any established criminality.

Other parties somehow manage to remove hecklers without members physically assaulting them, condoned by their leaders, but Reform clearly have a different level of standards.

Even if people are arrested, charged and found guilty, what is it meant to prove?

I don't understand the point that you're making. If crimes have been committed, then why do any arrests, charges and subsequent convictions have to "prove" anything? Other than that violence is wrong and there will be consequences?

We know who the man in the picture is. It’s Stephen Cooling, he obligingly wore a name badge and was filmed in the act.

Quote " Even if people are arrested, charged and found guilty, what is it meant to prove?"

That the list is getting bigger ?

One thing we can be sure of. Nathan Gill was not involved. Cos he is still in the slammer. You know, for taking bribes from Russia,

@EEexpat

Plural, yes if you read my link there were plural assaults happening.

@DuncinToffee

The force has asked alleged victims

Victims is plural, not singular.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/reform-uk-conference-activists-assault-man-caution-b3055066.html

The person cautioned was not arrested, but agreed voluntarily to be interviewed. However, they may end up with a criminal record.

@RedTagAlan

Investigations are conducted by West Midlands Police, not by the Reform Party.

@MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack

If the alleged victims came forward, would it not make identification easier? There is footage, but so far no arrests.

Even if people are arrested, charged and found guilty, what is it meant to prove?