MP Mark Field grabs female protester by throat

[summerofresistance]

I hope she presses charges. Totally unnecessary and unacceptable.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if he has form for DV.

twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1141819192020295680

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

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?

**
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.

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

"thought she had a weapon".

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

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.

He’s been suspended as a minister, apparently.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)?

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.

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.

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?

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

He ambushed her.

He should have had Mark Francois as back up. He was in the army you know.

And someone has posted footage of the bloke at McVey's promotional event.
Notable differences incl the fact this was a bloke, he was a bit big, albeit lardy, and WAS aggressive.

Cant think why the blokes aty McVey's do were all polite and encouraging him to stop but didn't touch him, but the Greenpeace lady was physically attacked.

MrsBethel

it was never enough to hurt anyone so let's not get carried away.

This is disgusting. If it doesn’t leave visible marks or broken bones it’s okay?

You know why strangulation is such a problem in domestic abuse? Because it often leaves no initial visible injuries and do it not only operates “undercover”, women are convinced by others it can’t be that bad. Sure, a significant women who are strangled by their abusers end up dead at their hand as well eventually, but I mean, they weren’t really “hurt” as there were no marks before so it’s all good, right?

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/strangulation-domestic-violence-prevention-murder-st-john-s-boalag-1.4706377

"I had a client once who was strangled 200 times," said McLean, who works with victims of domestic violence in Edmonton and counsels them about the risks of strangulation.

"Often victims will experience a strangulation assault, and they will appear fine; they will appear normal at the scene."

On its website, the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention says, "Victims may have no visible injuries whatsoever, yet because of underlying brain damage due to the lack of oxygen during the strangulation assault, they may have serious internal injuries, or die days, even weeks later.”

" Her gender was irrelevent."

Don't be absurd.

Sounds like what you're talking about hurts.

Judge people by what they say, not whatever's going on inside your own head.

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. It would still have been assault, and it would still have been up to the victim of the assault whether or not to press charges.