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Police officers try to evict heckling pensioner Ellen Luby |
Democracy Town Hall-style captured
CCTV footage reveals moment pensioner was evicted
THIS grainy CCTV footage captures the moment four police officers tried to wrest a heckling pensioner from her seat in the Town Hall’s public gallery.
As councillors wait to trade political blows at a full council meeting, most showing little interest in the drama unfolding above their heads, Ellen Luby is pulled by the arms and told she must leave.
The pushing and shoving goes on until Labour councillor Penny Abraham appeals for calm.
The pictures, recorded on September 11 last year, were released to the New Journal on Tuesday.
Ms Luby, 83, who lives in Belsize Park, said the Town Hall should apologise to her for the heavy-handed treatment.
Police were called after a series of disturbances in the public gallery. Several teenagers also heckled at the meeting after being denied the chance to make an official deputation over cuts to youth services.
Minutes of a party whips’ meeting held after the event revealed plans to train up Camden Mayor Jill Fraser to be more confident while chairing the full council meetings.
The notes said: “Asha Paul (council official) advised that, following the meeting, she had privately briefed the Mayor on such issues as using the gavel to assert authority and setting the tone of the meeting by announcing what would happen to members of the public if disruption occurred. In relation to security at council meetings, officers had since reviewed the staffing levels at potentially confrontational meetings, improved communications with the police on meetings with notice of demonstrations and arranged of increased staffing at meetings when planned demonstrations were known.”
Cllr Fraser later emailed Council leader Keith Moffitt and chief executive Moira Gibb with the message: “I asked Ellen again to come in for tea and she said she wasn’t doing anything until she had a letter of apology from that ‘Moffitt man’ and that she was disappointed because she believed in freedom of speech but we were as bad as the other lot and she has written to Simon Hughes (Lib Dem MP) and ‘hatred is wellin’ up’”.
Cllr Moffitt in turn said that he would not say sorry for the police intervention, commenting in an email reply: “As I had nothing to do with the decision this seems rather harsh. I don’t see why I should do an apology in those circumstances but I could do a letter explaining our position if that would help.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL FOOTAGE
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