AIBU to want to express support for women who were assaulted at a political conference?

[Warmlight1]

To want to send out support to the two women visibly assaulted at a political conference.
I am concerned about the other protesters too and actually anyone who was hurt. But having to listen to jeering from the podium plus the crowd chanting in live TV at the same time must have been so traumatic and the publicity will die down and coverage move on but that can't be easy. Just want to send love and support.

I think this one is a better parody than some we’ve seen on the thread 😉

So you think that assaulting her was ok? Are you on glue?

now you’ve been caught out you’re rewriting history

What do you mean? I don't think I expressed an opinion on the incidents in the conference hall on this thread.

Politicians punching people? Well yes, you had to go back 25 years.

This Labour MP was convicted of punching a constituent to the ground last year;

Feb 2025
MP jailed for punching constituent in street walks free after appealing against prison sentence.

... he initially claimed he had been approached by a man "shouting and screaming" about local and national matters, including a local swing bridge and immigration.

https://news.sky.com/story/mike-amesbury-mp-jailed-for-punching-constituent-in-street-walks-free-after-appealing-prison-sentence-13317984

Suspended from the party. Charged. Convicted. Let’s hope Reform acts as quickly. Remind me what this has to do with a group of people beating up a woman.

And was prosecuted, as the article says. And also had to stop being an MP and was I think thrown out of the party. And was widely condemned including by his colleagues. You didn't have Labour MPs and spokespeople arguing in TV that it wasn't a big deal it insinuating his victim deserved it somehow. Quite the opposite

There are violent people everywhere. Including violent young people and violent old people and in any large group. What is different in Reforms case is the reaction from the other people in the room including the leader of the party at the time and afterwards.

If someone in my social circle, political party, friendship group, church attacked someone that doesn't automatically reflect on me. If I defend it/think it's funny or justified then it does.

Also immediately allege she ' hurt herself' to try I assume to manage any liability
Could there be liability? At a corporate level?

There were male protestors I think- I only saw footage of one being carried out but not what preceeded it.

Well they better get it right or a ton of Reform voters will be coming for them in balaclavas

Suspended from the party. Charged. Convicted

It's a pity the alleged victims at the conference hall haven't come forward then. What have they got to hide? Do you think John Prescott should have been suspended pending inquiries?

You were the one who seemingly wanted a more recent example of "Politicians punching people?"

Not particularly. I was trying to gauge what you were trying to prove was ‘unusual’ or not. And what it had to do with this story. Feel free to expand.

There was a young woman on LBC saying that this sort of thing happens 'a lot,' or 'all the time.'
It just doesn't - but she didn't look as though she'd have been to many party conferences.
So someone had fed her this information?

I’m not sure we should assume that the alleged [sic] victims have anything to hide. Maybe they took a glimpse at what the RNLI got a bit of just for doing their job and, having already been on the end of one Reform beating, didn’t fancy any more punishment. But yes, let’s hope the law takes its course and no one feels too intimidated to let that happen.

Tony's Blair's reaction to John Prescott's punch;

"For the last seven years you get to know someone pretty well, and he has got very great strengths -- not least in his left arm."

What tends to happen is hecklers are removed by security (and we know Reform has the funds for that) rather than being set upon by the crowd.

Exactly. I wonder who she was.

The horse is dead. You can stop flogging it now.

Her interview with LBC

I am really heartened at all the posters who can see the huge pressures around these assaults and the words- even the satirical ones- rejecting violence

Just hope
-those strong women are surrounded by strong people.

• the decent Reform members who are unhappy with what they witnessed can talk to the police
• there can be a review of some kind of whether there were any breaches of safety duty
• these abusive men stand down from the public arena as soon as possible.

This might be more interesting, I think these protesters are from the same activist group as the Reform hecklers. They disrupted Labour's conference in 2024:

Protester grabbed by neck and thrown out of Labour conference during Rachel Reeves speech.

^https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/labour-rachel-reeves-protest-israel-b2617400.html^

The booing of our action was anticipated, the manhandling was not. We were removed, arrested and questioned in a police van for an hour, before being driven from the venue and dropped 10 minutes down the road...

I was slammed into a wall, the handcuffs made marks and there was unexpected verbal abuse. But it’s important that our rough treatment isn’t the main story to come out of Monday’s disruption.

^https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/25/rachel-reeves-speech-protest-war-climate-labour-conference^

(Rachel Reeves looked as though she was going to cry)

I thought the man very forcefully smashed a hard shelled egg in Prescott's face. What did the woman do?

Remind us what the actions of security guards and the police have to do with party members assaulting a woman.

Did RR declare to the audience that it was "boring" and the next day did any members of the Labour party belittle her by saying, "Boo Hoo" like Jenrick?

I thought the man very forcefully smashed a hard shelled egg in Prescott's face.

I think the first egg missed and the second egg hit the side of his face and neck.

Just to clarify - if a protester hits Nigel Farage on the side of his face and neck with a hard shelled egg, or similar object, you would be fine if Farage reacted with a punch?

I certainly think it's more of a instinctive reaction to someone smashing something into your face. I'm still not clear how this is comparable to this situation, I'll ask again, what did the woman do? Equally, this was donkeys years ago, I mean it was different era. Would John Prescott hit a woman, no, I definitely don't think so, different values I suppose!