Mark Field. Reasonable and robust force to eject a pain in the harris interrupting a social event for their own agenda. Or behaviour indicative of a serial woman beater (as suggested on LBC) and that his reaction wouldn't have been the same to a male.
Whilst his fully briefed explanation was that he was reacting to an unknown threat I tend to feel it was more to do with a sudden intolerance of people looking for any opportunity for a platform to express their agenda and sometimes disruption just gets a bit much.
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Looked like something a bouncer or a copper would do every weekend up and down the country. If it were an offence to do such the courts would be clogged solid.
He did say he only thought for a she might have been armed. I don't think there's any thing to suggest that he wouldn't have done the same thing if it were a male.
The look on his face said 'look just f off will you!'
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I used to live at Greenham. I cannot stand the Greenpeace activists. They are so entitled and self-righteous in their sanctimonious belief in their actions it is beyond intolerable.
He did nothing of note. He should have had the right to do more.
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Even SWMBO said he hadn't done any wrong, she said the protester had gatecrashed and already spoiled an event and deserved to be thrown out using reasonable force, which she considered this to be.
For once I won't argue with her... :-)
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Whatever.
Force was excessive - neither he nor his property was in danger.
Correct action was to call the fuzz/security.
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Barged in presumably, probably after being told it was ticket only?
To me there is a difference between peaceful protest and wilful disruption. That does not give licence to assault people, but minimum force ejection seems OK to me.
Fact is, she might have been armed - impersonating Greenpeace protesters would be a good wheeze for armed terrorists to get into a venue with 600 bankers and politicians, which would be the equivalent of a hat trick at Wembley in the cup final. I can't believe security let them through, and if they did so deliberately, why.
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 21 Jun 19 at 18:47
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Of course it wasn't excessive. No one was hurt. It was reasonable in the circumstances. The only criticism a professional security guard had on the radio tonight was that he would have used an arm lock rather than a neck grip as more secure.
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I'm in agreement with Lygonos; action was well excessive.
Right now Field looks like an angry man who's tolerance might have been reduced by one too many Gin and Tonics in the bar.
This wasn't a private/social dinner party. It was an annual event at which the Chancellor and others make significant speeches. The media are invited to hear and report on those speeches.
It's likely to attract protesters of one form or another. Security Forces and those on duty at venue should have been prepared for this and it would be surprising if intelligence had not picked up on what was planned by Greenpeace or others.
Janet Barker was wearing smart dress, possibly to blend with legitimate attendees but has donned a Greenpeace sash. She looks like a petite woman; any suicide vest would have been apparent. Field 'saw red' and went for her. I don't believe for a minute he thought she was a terrorist with acid or whatever, nothing in his demeanour suggests he's contemplated such a possibility.
If he'd obstructed her, questioned her bona fides AND THEN frogmarched her out he might have had a leg. As things stand I think he's lucky she's not complaining to the police. Absence of complaint though won't save him if police think there's evidence of assault.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 21 Jun 19 at 20:12
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I think he looks like a bully, especially after placing his hand on the back of her neck - which really appeared to be overstepping the mark.
I did wonder if he would do the same with a burly man in the protester's place?
The protester needed to be ejected, let the professionals do it.
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If it was a six-foot-two bloke who was the Greenpeace protester, that berkley hunt wouldn't have moved an inch.
You can always tell a misogynist by the way he refuses to let his wife drive his car, never does any housework and roughs up a woman. Seen it all.
Thought she might have a weapon? Do me a lemon. Lamest excuse of 2019.
Would you recommend him to your recently divorced sister after you saw that?
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When I first saw the short clip of the actual incident I was undecided as to whether the amount of force seemed reasonable. It gave the impression that she appeared suddenly in the room without warning.
Later seeing the fuller video coverage its clear that the protest ran for a short time before the incident. It wasn't a sudden rush from nowhere.
I have little sympathy when people disrupt events for publicity but you can't manhandle people you disagree with. It seems like a case of red mist to me.
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I wonder if it was a man of similar size that was escorted out there'd be such interest in it? Just a thought.
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I wonder if people thought that it was "reasonable force" if she had been your wife. Yours, not his. A man doing that to your wife. So reasonable that it wouldn't bother you?
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OK, he used a limited amount of force, but he didn't know what she was attempting. I suppose he could have just blocked her way, but again, he didn't know her intentions. He was attending a Mansion House dinner and perhaps, could have assumed a reasonable level of security was in force - which it was obviously not! He's not trained in security measures (I presume) and looking at the video footage, he forcibly ejected her, without causing her any serious injuries (other than the bruising when she ricocheted off the masonry). I fully support his action.
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>>A man doing that to your wife. So reasonable that it wouldn't bother you?
If the circumstances were exactly the same, I would still think it reasonable. He pushed her against a column to stop her progress and then ejected her.
I am sure somebody had already shouted "get out" or similar, so how do you think she could have been ejected with less force?
He has my support, but in these reactionary times I am sure that the Daily Mail will dismiss him from his job.
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Anyone who wishes to protest in that manner runs the risk of being physically ejected. I'm all for protest but whinging at the consequence of your own actions is more than a bit pathetic and claiming special treatment because you are a women seems rather sexist.
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I'm not up to date but last I read about it this afternoon was that she wasn't actually complaining that much, maybe because the Twitterati doing so on her behalf.
Nothing wrong with a bit of assertive behaviour really IMO, in the circumstances.
My Mrs would have more decorum and common sense than to disrupt such an event.
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She was repeating "peaceful protest, peaceful protest". So that's OK then. Obviously nobody armed and dangerous would do that, and they would always take care to dress in terrorist clothing in accordance with etiquette.
No, I don't think Field's reaction was the most appropriate, but it was spontaneous rather planned.
As to whether I would feel the same were it my wife - had she told me she was planning to disrupt the Mansion House speech I would have advised her against it, on the basis that she could well get some rough handling, or worse, from the police or security.
I honestly think that had it been a man, and Fields had taken him down, there would not have been the same reaction.
The more serious matter is how they got in so easily. It has been suggested that the police etc knew about the protest in advance - shame they didn't tell the guests and advise them on how to deal with it if that was the case.
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www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1058358071029270
Apologies for the anti-Tory slogan - not my video :-)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sun 23 Jun 19 at 01:40
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Seems that Mark Field has been caught out in another controversy:
www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/02/mark-field-calls-homeless-charity-a-magnet-for-undesirable
Even if he's right about help for street homeless ensuring they go to particular places it's probably not sensible to say so in quite such robust terms.
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Greenpeace Protest. - sooty123
