A British lawmaker was suspended for grabbing a woman by the neck and physically forcing her out of a government black tie event Thursday.
Foreign Office Minister Mark Field, of Britain’s Conservative Party, was suspended from his position Friday by the Prime Minister’s office for his use of force on a female protester during a dinner at the Mansion House, according to The Associated Press.
Finance Minister Philip Hammond was addressing a group of foreign industry executives at the gala when several female climate activists wearing red dresses and sashes reading “Climate Change Emergency” stormed into the venue, interrupting the speech. One could be seen reading aloud from a sheet of paper as she entered the room.
When one of the activists, Janet Barker, approached Field’s side of the table, he rose from his chair and aggressively confronted her. (RELATED: EU Shreds Theresa May’s Brexit Plan)
Video from the event shows Field shoving the protester into the wall behind her, then grabbing her around the neck and leading her out of the room forcefully.
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The protesters were associated with Greenpeace, according to the BBC. Barker described the experience as “over the top.”
“I expected to maybe engage in a conversation or two with people, perhaps people blocking my way,” she told The AP.
“But certainly not to be grabbed round the neck,” she continued.
She said that she wouldn’t press charges, but recommended anger management classes for the lawmaker, according to The AP.
Field apologized for his behavior, telling ITV, “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,” he continued.
“I think Mark Field should have a long hard stare at himself and think whether that behaviour is in keeping with someone in public office,” Greenpeace activist Areeba Hamid told the BBC.
In April, another group of climate activist created gridlock in London with a massive demonstration on public transit routes throughout the city. Field, whose constituency is based in London, is reported to have complained during the protests that Londoners were “quite rightly fed up” with protesters, according to The AP.
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