A video of the incident has emerged.
Police in the United Kingdom have received reports of assault after a video of Conservative MP Mark Field putting his hands on a female protestor was captured by journalists.
The woman was part of a peaceful Greenpeace protest at the chancellor’s Mansion House speech. Greenpeace, an environmental activism group, has said that it was “shocked” by the incident.
In a video shared by ITV journalist Paul Brand, it appears that Field pushes the woman against a pillar as she is walking past.
After she struggles, Field is seen pushing her out of the room with a hold on the back of her neck.
WATCH: Conservative MP Mark Field shoves a protestor against a pillar then grabs her by her neck and shoves her out of the Mansion House dinner after climate change protestors interrupted the banquet. pic.twitter.com/DFwZYxROfF
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) June 20, 2019
Field has since issued a statement in which he claims that he thought the woman might have been armed.
“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.
“In view of the publicity around this incident I am referring myself to the Cabinet Office to examine whether there has been a breach of the ministerial code, and will of course co-operate fully with their investigation.”
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