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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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

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.

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.

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

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?"

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

This ^^

His career is over

I really hope so.

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

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

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.

@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.

....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

The increased support in this country for violence in politics full stop is concerning in this (and other) countries. Attacking politicians, eggings/ throwing milkshakes, assaulting people at political rallies and protests, trying to get events shutdown/ people fired, threatening/ abusing people engaging in political discussions. It's not just the gender debate, it's everywhere. It's left, right, and centre voters. It's men and women doing it, and supporting others doing it. It's mainstream newspapers minimising it or justifying it. We should all be very afraid about this cultural shift because we have a lot of things that need public debate coming up: trans issues, surrogacy and prostitution laws, brexit, the climate crisis, and at some point in the not too distant future I predict there'll be a lot of debate about the rise of AI. We need to fight for a society where we can discuss, debate, protest without fear of violence. We need to look at the cracks in our democratic process, such as how men like Field make it into office in the first place, or how policy capture occurs, and plug them up. We are moving forwards into a world of huge social, economic and political change, and we need a healthy democracy to get us through that in tact. ATM it feels like a stiff breeze could blow it all away.

In the BBC article he defends himself by saying that he reacted instinctively, does he not realise that being a man who instinctively grabs a woman by the throat is not a good look?

The main argument on the AIBU thread seems to be "Yes the chances of a female climate change activist being a terrorist are exceedingly slim, especially given that she was at an event attended by professional security and with baggage screening. However, you never know, there's a first time for everything and it's OK for male Tory MPs to use violence because that's the way they felt and it's OK to be ruled by you emotions. If you're a male Tory MP."

Well, AIBU does have a reputation for a reason. It doesn’t exactly attract the most intelligent users does it.