MP Mark Field grabs female protester by throat

....suspended.

Theresa May (the prime minster, still, for maybe another month) not happy.

Victim does not want charges.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48718725

@FriarTuck we DO have a right to protest in this country, no "supposedly" about it. For now, anyway, although who knows where we are headed on the Boris Express. So once all peaceful, democratic protest is criminalised you'll be happy? You better just hope you're always on the power grabbing side of any debate then eh. (White, male, Rich is always the winning combo).

This is violence and should be punished as such.

Mark Field is just a man who felt like attacking a woman and did so. His career is over

I sincerely hope so.

I'm pretty repulsed by some of the comments on the AIBU thread. Repulsed and worried, because so many of them seem to think that using force against peaceful protestors is absolutely A-OK, because Jo Cox was murdered by a psychopathic man three years ago. They simply cannot see the hideous, dangerous, insulting irony of that position.

Grabbing a stranger by the neck is an extremely bold and threatening move, he wouldn't risk it with a man because a mutual physical confrontation would be too likely
he felt able to do it with a woman because he knew that she would be intimidated and wouldn't have the instincts to retaliate
Nice work shooting yourself in the foot dickhead

Straight for the neck, he's a pro isn't he, he treats her like a dog where you grab it by the collar to get it under control as quickly as possible
He would never have done that to a man

I'd be amazed if he had gone anywhere near her if he genuinely thought she was armed
In a nutshell. ^

I'm not police, but I'm pretty sure that had police been required to remove a protester, they would have firmly told her she had to leave. If she refused they would explain what law she was breaking, tell her she had to go, and, maybe, steer her by the elbow.

Also, from Liberty's handbook on protest:
(R.E Trespass)
Most landowners and their agents, typically security guards, avoid using force to remove trespassers who refuse to leave. The usual response is to call the police who generally encourage the trespasser to leave. Where the trespasser refuses the police may be able to justify arresting him/her if they suspect that their continuing presence there may lead to a breach of the peace.

It then goes on to talk about Trespass with the intention of intimidation ( eg hunt sabs) and that this is a criminal offence and carries a fine. Nowhere does it say that a bystander at an event has the right you grab a trespasser hard by the neck. Let alone police, and security.
Excessive force is a huge no no.

Mark Field is just a man who felt like attacking a woman and did so. His career is over.

On the AIBU thread most posters seem to agree with what he did. Sad but I guess not surprising.

Good riddance I hope he is finished in politics.
What a truly disturbing video that is, he is angry, violent and bullying.

Imo it's not so much what he did, but the level of aggression. He didn't look like he was in control of his emotions and it says more about his instinct when irritated, or trying to deal with a situation he was trying to change, than anything.

Once upon a time I did security training in one of the bars I worked at. We were strongly advised that if we were the target or percieved target of abuse and or violence, then it was always best practice to get another member of staff involved. This protected you from accusations that you acted out of anger or emotion, this was the advice given to all members of staff, regardless of sex. Very often if a situation involving a member of staff did escalate, the staff member removed themselves entirely from the situation and other staff members dealt with it. You need to stay professional and smart, that's why trained security teams are hired and not just have a go half wits from the crowd.

There will be a cabinet reshuffle as soon as the new Tory leader takes over - hope he’s not just quietly replaced.

His constituents might want to be looking into recalling him and triggering a by-election - even if the Tories kick him out the party completely he’ll be able to stay as an independent MP.

One thing that strikes me from a lot of the comments, on MN and elsewhere, is that violent loss of temper is still seen completely natural and understandable in men. He just saw red, not his fault, you can't expect a man to react completely proportionately when he's angry. Whereas women are expected to keep the lid on their rage regardless of the circumstances. Look at the reaction to female victims of DV who eventually lash out. All you ever here is "well, she still wasn't entitled to lose it like that no matter what he'd done to her, she should have stayed calm, she should have made an exit plan, she could have left any time, her life wasn't in immediate danger so it wasn't self-defence, we can't just allow people to be violent like that or what would happen to society?"

Well Theresa May has actually done the decent thing. Good. Suspension first.

Imo it's not so much what he did, but the level of aggression. He didn't look like he was in control of his emotions and it says more about his instinct when irritated, or trying to deal with a situation he was trying to change, than anything.

I've watched a longer clip and I didn't see any of the other people in the room, men or women, behave in that way to the other protesters.

So I'd hope questions are being asked about what kind of man he is to have felt this was an appropriate way to deal with the situation. I'd also like to think we'd be asking those same questions if his instinct had been to roughly manhandle a man in the same way.

www.facebook.com/959780427477483/posts/2128628513925996?sfns=mo

This is the first clip I saw - the way he pushes her against the wall is already unnecessary force, without even getting into what follows.

He’s a very angry man. Not really the type of person you want in the Foreign Office.

News just breaking that he has been suspended. Let's hope this is just a first step and that he will soon be sacked.

Kevin Schofield
‏*@PolhomeEditor*
BREAKING: Theresa May has suspended Mark Field as a minister. No10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning.”

In this climate of mass shootings, knife attacks, acid attacks and suicide bombings he acted promptly and correctly. She was trespassing and obviously determined to do something which could of been ant number of things. There are plenty of other ways she could of made her point. She should be charged not him

Her bag would’ve been searched on the way in. You can’t even get into Disney on fucking ice without a bag search - no way you are getting in a building full of government ministers without one. Likely a pat down too.

Just watching the clip on BBC news, the woman had her phone camera recording and so seemed to be walking that way to get a better view to film.
Everytime they play the clip my stomach knots up, disgusting and frightening how much rage he had when shoving her.

People are making too much of this, trying to make it into something it is not.

No. The video is actually very clear. He is using force against a woman who was simply walking past him at an event with security in attendance.

If he isn’t sacked, I would be very surprised.

If guests had felt under threat they'd have been running for the door.

They didn't because there wasn't a threat.

We are sacking people in this country for saying humans can't change sex, and having them investigated for inciting violence by tweeting off colour limericks, but this shameless and blatant act of actual literal male violence gets a round of applause and a tidal wave of apologists. Our country needs to taking a seriously long hard look at itself. What a fucking joke we are.

Guy on Sky News who was at the event last night is undermining Field's claims.

Firstly, he says that all attendees have to put their bags through airport style scanners, so the 'she could have been armed' claim is a bit silly. Also, he took a video of the event and you can see female protesters being removed by male security staff - the men are putting their hands on their shoulders, not their necks, which would be how a professional security person should behave. Also, he said that the reaction around the table was 'bemusement' not 'fear' as Field claimed.

I don't know how anyone can claim that Field acted 'proportionately'.

Fucking hell, just watched the full clip and how anyone can say that she was a) acting in a threatening way, b) going to Field rather than past him, and c) that his reaction wasn't one of knee jerk aggression acted out with unreasonable force is astonishing. I was shocked to see it, he was so forceful with her. I agree with the above article, he should be arrested and sacked. Disgusting and disgraceful how we bend over backwards to excuse male violence.