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‘Mace-gate’ protesters complain of aggressive manhandling by guards
PROTESTERS condemned for the rowdy scenes at last month’s full council meeting – described by some witnesses as a ‘riot’ – have broken their silence and told Camden Council to stop fretting about their broken ceremonial mace.
They have told councillors to review their spending policies instead.
Furthermore, protesters have accused councillors of swearing at them and claim they were unfairly manhandled by security guards.
Council leader Councillor Keith Moffitt yesterday (Wednesday) described the fresh account as “partial” and said it did not capture the potential danger that councillors were in.
He said: “The mace was being thrown around. It is a big heavy object. Somebody could have been killed or scarred for life.”
The chaotic budget-setting session on February 28 was suspended for an hour and descended into farce as protesters burst onto the main chamber floor. Some squared up to councillors and one woman threw Mayor Jill Fraser’s mace to the ground.
While the incident has been given the light-hearted label ‘Mace-gate’ by some officials and mocked up as an unsolved ‘whodunnit’, senior figures at the Town Hall are serious in their calls for those involved in the protest to face criminal charges.
A group of objectors to the council’s budget cuts – including parents at the axed Kilburn Grange play centre and Winvisible, a Kentish Town disabilities group – hit back on Tuesday.
In a joint letter to the New Journal, protesters said: “The council has complained that the Mayor’s gold mace was thrown onto the floor. But no one was hurt, while the decisions made that night have life-threatening consequences for those affected.”
No single individual has admitted causing the damage to the mace, which could cost thousands of pounds to fix – but the protesters say the damage isn’t the point.
The letter said: “Everyone felt we had a right to hear our deputations and the council’s deliberations, and chanted ‘Let us in’. Security guards aggressively manhandled people, including women, regardless of the young children and vulnerable older and disabled people nearby.”
Sent with the threat of retrospective action still a possibility, the letter is the first full account of what happened from the viewpoint of protesters who lobbied councillors on the night. It has also been signed off by the Camden Black Parents and Teachers Association, the All African Women’s Group and Anna Alston, a member of Young People for Inclusion group.
“Some people at the front managed to get into the Chamber,” the letter added. “One councillor threatened a mum from Kilburn Grange saying ‘Get the f*** out of here’, and two lots of police were called. Those who got in were forced out under threat of arrest.”
Police confirmed last week that they are studying CCTV footage and collecting statements.
Camden mayor Jill Fraser described the maverick nature of the protest as “disgusting”.
She has stood alongside Lib Dem leader Keith Moffitt, Conservative leader Andrew Marshall and council chief executive Moira Gibb in calls for further action.
Cllr Moffitt said: “We are the elected members. Thousands and thousands of people voted for us. These people seem to think that they are better than that, that they are above the democratic process.”
He added the same people had been involved in disturbing a cabinet meeting seven days beforehand.
Cllr Marshall said: “Just as council tenants on an estate would want criminal damage to be pursued, I think criminal damage at the Town Hall should not be condoned.
“The moment they used force to get into the chamber, it was unlawful. A public meeting is not a free for all for everyone to speak – that’s a misconception – the meeting is open to the public.” |
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