MP Mark Field grabs female protester by throat

He didn’t act instinctively he was tracking her coming towards him.

He ambushed her.

I think all the stuff about being worried she had a weapon is likely totally false. I think he thought she was going to try and speak or interrupt along with the other protestors. Maybe he was getting annoyed by it and contributed to him being too aggressive.

Oh for sure. Let’s see:

1. They would have done bag checks;
2. She had a small evening style bag in one hand;
3. She had her phone in the other, likely because as with most evening bags after you put in ID and a lipstick there is no room for your phone.

But yes, we all are supposed to buy she not only had a weapon tucked away in her closed bag she intended to use, but had a third hand somewhere to undo the bag and brandish the weapon?

The fact she is a woman is related to why she is smaller and weaker than him (not that trans sports activists would agree with that, but whatever...).

Beyond that her sex has no relevance.

How would it be judged if he bundled a young, short male out of there in the same way? I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid. Criticise him for being overly aggressive, fine, but it was never enough to hurt anyone so let's not get carried away.

If it turns out the women protesters had to go through security and have their bags scanned as a pp said then that is even more evidence he acted with excessive force. As an MP he should know how to deal with a non violent protest which is leave it to security. It could be the case he was not sure the protest was non violent but he should still not have attacked her that way, but attempted to stop her in the least physical manner possible with the help of the other men at the table. Only being physical if absolutely necessary. Keeping calm and even being polite until he was sure of the situation. Ok some people can over react in potential danger situations but do we really want someone who can't remain calm and act sensibly to be an MP.

NeatFreakMama

Both of them behaved badly, she started the chain of events and should take responsibility for her own actions and he responded too heavily handed. It's too black and white to blame only one party, there's more blame to go around.

How did she start a chain of events that led to his violent assault on her? By trying to walk past him (legal)? By unfortunately having a pillar next to him that he could push her into (legal)? By carrying a small evening bag in one hand and a phone in the other as I would say most women do when at a dinner (legal)? By protesting (legal)?

I think all the stuff about being worried she had a weapon is likely totally false. I think he thought she was going to try and speak or interrupt along with the other protestors. Maybe he was getting annoyed by it and contributed to him being too aggressive.

It's not a great look for an MP, he'd have been better off to let security handle it.

I do think, as a gatecrashing protestor at that sort of event, I would expect to possibly be bundled out in a somewhat aggressive way. It wouldn't occur to me that as a woman I would not have that happen. But then, my biggest memory of a political figure dealing violently with a protestor was our PM grabbing a male protestor who was getting in his space by the throat.

Its bad enough that when you go down a street past a man you have to make sure there is nothing in the way of your escape. Now you have to make sure of this inside as well?

And anyone saying that this is clearly not the same as the multitude of times that women have been attacked and the behaviour of DV men: shame on you.

If anyone has watched that full clip and is still defending it, then they are in serious need of some self-reflection on why they condone and support violence against women.

The woman was walking past him between a pillar and his chair (you absolutely cannot see her face to see a “mean look” ) and he reached back and pushed at her (pushing her into pillar) and as he stood up and pushed or put a hand against her chest and then forcibly turned her around and grabbed her at back of neck.

The “she could have been armed” is bullshit. No one, not even he, seriously thought she was armed.

Hang on, he grabbed the back of her neck. She had a bag in her hand that she was clutching to her side as she marched purposefully towards them. That bag could have contained a gun or a knife. Surely if you are worried someone has a weapon on them, you grab them by the wrists not the scruff of the neck. She could have stabbed him quite easily as her hands were free. He knew she was a peaceful protester.

she was clearly only steered by means of pressure on the back of her neck and her throat was not touched

I just got DP to grab me by the back of the neck. His fingers were digging in the sides of my throat . He has average size hands.

Anyway-he shouldn't have used ANY force? ! Wtf do you mean "excessive force"?!
I think a PP is dead on about the inadequate special forces wannabes getting off on the idea of "clear and present danfer" and "nessecary force" 😂
Oh, dp is ex forces btw and would never be that much of a dickhead.

The stills and footage make it quite clear that she had a bag over her arm and papers in one hand and her phone in the other, he would have as be had time to observe this before he assaulted her. She was quite clearly intent on walking past him so his defense of an instinctive reaction is bollocks. We can see her instinctive reaction as she cowers away from him.

Whilst the protest was intended to be disruptive, that's the point of it, it does not excuse the level of violence Mark Field used. Blocking her path and asking her to leave or waiting for security to escort the protester out would have been reasonable. His response was driven by anger not fear, it almost looks like he's trying to reign himself in from actually going further.

He needs to go and the media needs to stop being complicit in minimising male violence.

Twyler can I then ask your view on the tweet shared upthread of an ex serving police officer?

And do you really think he would have tried this little manoeuvre on a 6ft bloke? Of course sex is relevant.

I am shocked at the number of people who don't appear to think that the UK has laws about people being allowed to peacefully protest. I have also learned today that trespassing itself is not a crime. Breaking and entering-yes
Trespass plus intimidation-yes
But not just walking into a building.

And was Mark Field heckers like scared!
For years I lived on a dodgy estate where there were numerous nighttime burglaries. As a small lone woman with little children I slept with a hammer by my bed and would have come down swinging ( probably in sheer terror) if someone had broken in.
Had I cracked the skulls of the men/ boys trying to rob me before the police got there I could have gone down for a long time, so it wasnt a good idea, but I was scared.
A wealthy man, sat in a room of his peers and surrounded by security? Scared? Pull the other other one.

He’s been suspended as a minister, apparently.

I have looked at the video a number of times and in my opinion given the circumstances the level of force used was NOT excessive, she was clearly only steered by means of pressure on the back of her neck and her throat was not touched. She gatecrashed the event and was clearly intended to get to a Government minister with, at the time, who knows what intent. Her gender was irrelevent.

It goes without saying that I do not approve of any violence between humans regardless of gender but it surely cannot be denied that sometimes it is legitimate to prevent anti social behaviour.

"thought she had a weapon".

This sounds very unlikely to me. Unless he was brought up by a woman who beat him with objects.

Apparently he "thought she had a weapon".
Well if I thought someone had a weapon I'd be discreetly alerting security. I certainly wouldnt be tackling and antagonising them.
If she did have a weapon he could or rather would have put a lot of lives in grave danger.
He's just pulled that crack pot story out the hat to try and justify his pathetic bullying actions.
I hope she presses charges as well

**
How did not one person at that table stand up and shout "LET HER GO, TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER, ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH NOW, STOP IT".

^ exactly. In fucking spades.
I cannot understand the mentality of people in that room who just turned to sheep in. You have a brain- use it. Take action.

I was really on the fence about this one but as I see more and more footage it’s evident that

a) she was not acting alone and others were ejected effectively without force and

b) without a shadow of a doubt that’s his MO for keeping women in their place, eh?

Let's hope this incident opens the floodgates....

...and the next story on JV is man abused as a child by men.

Anyone see a pattern?

This is all extremely concerning.

I want to live in a world where I can walk passed a man without fear of being grabbed and manhandled.

And, I want to live in a world where peaceful protest is not just tolerated but actually valued for the important part it plays in our democratic process.

If a woman gets raped she is held accountable because of what she wore.
Now it appears the same rule applies to physical assault.

Oh my God another Tory man (didn’t catch his name) was just on BBC radio 4 defending the attacker - apparently it was the woman’s fault for wearing a dress without a collar so the MP had no choice but to grab her by her neck. WTF is going on in this godforsaken country.