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Greenpeace activists target chancellor's speech in climate protest Tory MP appears to grab Greenpeace activist during climate protest
(about 1 hour later)
Dozens of Greenpeace activists interrupted the chancellor’s Mansion House speech on Thursday night as they sought to draw attention to the climate crisis. The Conservatives have been plunged into controversy after a video appeared to show a minister grab and manhandle a protester who disrupted the chancellor’s Mansion House speech.
A group, most dressed all in red and wearing sashes bearing the words “climate emergency”, attempted to read out a message and “drown out” Philip Hammond as he tried to deliver the set-piece address. In the footage Mark Field, a foreign office minister, seemed to push the female Greenpeace activist against a wall and grab her neck.
They were ushered out of the room and, after they had all been removed, Hammond claimed it was “ironic” they had chosen to stage the protest shortly after the government had announced its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Afterwards, Greenpeace UK countered that the Treasury had “tried to water down” the government’s action on climate change. It came as a separate scandal threatened the party as senior Tory figures condemned and pledged to launch an investigation into messages sent to Antoinette Sandbach by an unnamed fellow Conservative MP demanding she leave the party.
There were around 40 activists, according to Greenpeace. Areeba Hamid, a climate campaigner with the organisation, said: “This is a climate emergency. Business as usual is no longer an option. The real bottom line, the priority that needs to come before all others, is not profit, revenue or growth, but survival. That needs to be recognised in every boardroom and on every balance sheet, starting with the chancellor’s. The video footage appeared showed an incident that occurred as dozens of Greenpeace activists sought to draw attention to the climate crisis while Philip Hammond prepared to deliver his set-piece address.
“The people in this room have been funding climate change, and we’re not giving the banks and hedge funds a pass for their unethical investment decisions anymore. The Treasury is the government’s banker. It plays the same role propping up vested interests and blocking progress on climate change. Watch as Tory MP for Cities of London & Westminster @MarkFieldUK grabs a Greenpeace protester who interrupted a Philip Hammond speech in London tonight https://t.co/wZTzEC8lKF pic.twitter.com/tJuwCZ1P0X
“But science demands a radical programme of policy interventions and public investment if our economy is to survive the coming storm. The serious, sensible, grey-suited grown-ups in the room ignored the warning signs and crashed the economy in 2008. We can’t afford to let them crash the climate too.” A group, most dressed all in red and wearing sashes bearing the words “climate emergency”, attempted to read out a message and “drown out” Hammond.
Environmental activism In a short clip, later posted online by ITV News, Field appeared to grab one of the female activists, shoving her against a pillar and then marching her away while gripping the back of her neck. Greenpeace UK confirmed on Thursday night that it believed the man to be Field, though no complaint has been made to police. No arrests have been made over the protests.
Labour MP Dawn Butler tweeted: “I’m sure I’m not the only one who is wondering why no one intervened. So much violence does not seem justified. An investigation needs to take place as soon as possible.”
Field has been contacted for comment.
According to the video, the rest of the activists were forced out of the room. After they had been removed Hammond claimed it was “ironic” they had chosen to stage the protest shortly after the government had announced its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Afterwards, Greenpeace UK countered that the Treasury had “tried to water down” the government’s action on climate change.
Also on Thursday night, Sandbach posted an image on social media of messages she said were from a colleague and suggested that similar abuse had been behind the decisions of three female former Tory MPs to leave the Conservative party.
“Barely is the ink dry on the results and the dark ops begin,” Sandbach, who supported Rory Stewart in the leadership race, wrote on Twitter. “This from a male conservative MP to me as I sit on the train home.”
The messages, which came only hours after Tory MPs voted Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt through to the final round of the party leadership contest, read: “You too are a disgrace. Time you left the party I think.” She tagged it with the words “completewankspangle” and later deleted the tweet.
In a supplementary tweet that remained live, the MP for Eddisbury added: “It’s bad enough when you get it from complete strangers. Is it any wonder three female MPs left.”
Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary and Tory leadership hopeful, denounced the messages, and added: “We have to come together as a party.” Julian Smith, the government chief whip, promised to investigate and offered to meet Sandbach on Monday.
Smith said the messages were “totally unacceptable”, and thanked Sandbach for supporting the government in parliamentary votes on Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement. Sandbach told the Guardian on Thursday night that she and the party were dealing with the incident internally.
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