Protester hauled out of Mansion House says Mark Field needs 'anger management'
2 min read
The Greenpeace activist who was hauled out of a dinner at Mansion House by Mark Field said the suspended Foreign Office Minister should “address his behaviour.”
In an interview with the Guardian, Janet Barker said she pleaded with the minister to let her go as she was removed from the event, repeatedly saying “peaceful protest, peaceful protest”.
“He continued to grip me by the neck and the arm all the way to the door of the building," she said.
“Then, when we got to the door, he shoved me outside on the street, and said: ‘This is what happens when people like you disturb our dinner.’”
Ms Barker broke into the annual Bankers’ and Merchant’s Dinner with a group of climate change protesters and was tasked with delivering a copy of their statement to the event’s attendees.
Footage shows Mr Field grabbing her by the neck, pushing her against a pillar, and then removing her from the venue.
After calling for Mr Field to receive “anger management”, Ms Barker said, "I worry maybe he’s on a bit of a simmer all the time, that just one or two things might tip him over."
In a statement released soon after the event, Mr Field said: “In the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table I instinctively reacted.
“There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed. As a result I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.
“I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologise to the lady concerned for grabbing her but in the current climate I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present.”
The Tory minister was suspended from his position at the Foreign Office on Friday, after Theresa May’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning.”
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt – who Mr Field is supporting in the Conservative leadership election – said: “Mark has issued a full an unreserved apology. He recognises that what happened was an overreaction.
“I think it’s not for me to make a judgement, because I wasn’t there to appreciate the context.”
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