THE PROTESTER who was dragged out of Rachel Reeves’s speech at Labour conference by the neck has spoken out after it was revealed that the man responsible is a Labour councillor.
The National revealed today that Harbinder Singh (below), who represents the Ettingshall South and Spring Vale ward on Wolverhampton Council, is set to face a council investigation over the incident that happened last week.
The Wolverhampton Labour Group told The National today (Tuesday) it has “formally referred the matter to the Council’s Monitoring Officer”.
“This matter is currently going through the appropriate procedures,” they added.
Now, the protester who was dragged by the neck – who previously spoke to The National on camera about what happened (below) and wishes to not be named – has said that this kind of violence is "unacceptable".
"Especially from a Labour councillor," he added.
"But it unfortunately seems to reflect the Labour Party's general attitudes towards voices of opposition – especially those speaking from a humanitarian standpoint.
“Whilst the government continues to sell arms to Israel, there will be mounting pressure from civil society on them to stop.
“Scenes like the one at the Labour conference only reaffirm the belief that the Government is desperate not to let opposition be heard. Could this be because it has no justification for its continued actions?”
The protester previously described the whole experience as “brutal”.
“There was a bit of grabbing on the neck, which was pretty shocking,” he said – showing a series of red marks on his neckline.
“I wasn't expecting that. And then also, the handcuffs caused a bit of damage on my wrist.”
It was a moment that dominated coverage of (above) Reeves’ maiden speech as Chancellor – where she attempted to strike a more optimistic tone about the UK’s economy after weeks of announcements of cuts.
But shortly after Reeves began her speech, the protester unfurled a banner reading “Still backing polluters, still arming Israel – we voted for change."
He then shouted "I thought we were voting for change Rachel”.
“It was brutal. We were right in the front with all of the delegates, the councillors – not a popular audience.”
When asked by The National why he chose to protest in this way at a high-profile event like Labour conference and the Chancellor’s speech, the protester said it was important to offer a “counter narrative” to Labour branding themselves as the self-styled “party of change”.
“There's some really important issues that they're not changing on,” he said.
“One is the continued licence and sale of arms to Israel whilst they're committing genocide on the Palestinian people.
“Another is the continued roll back on important green pledges – we know how urgent that situation is.”
In response to the interruption, Reeves said at the time: “This is a changed Labour Party, a Labour Party that represents working people, not a party of protest.”
The Labour Party and Wolverhampton Labour Group have been approached for comment.
