MP Mark Field accused of assaulting Greenpeace activist
Greenpeace has accused Foreign Office minister Mark Field of assault, after he pushed a female activist out of a black-tie City event.
Mr Field claimed he reacted
"instinctively" and has referred himself to the Cabinet Office for an investigation.
He also apologised to the woman for "grabbing her" - but said he was worried she may have been armed.
The Tory MP has been widely criticised, but some people defended his actions.
Thursday night's incident - which was filmed by TV news cameras - happened after climate change protesters disrupted the beginning of Chancellor Philip Hammond's annual Mansion House speech to the City about the state of the UK economy.
Dozens of activists - dressed in suits, red dresses and sashes -
"gatecrashed" the dinner, according to Greenpeace, and refused to leave.
Video footage shows Mr Field getting out of his seat and stopping one female protester by pushing her against a column and then marching her out of the room.
City of London Police said: "
We have had a number of third-party reports of a possible assault. These are being looked into."
Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the party would investigate the
"full details of what happened".
'Shameful'
Greenpeace climate campaigner Areeba Hamid told the BBC the activist was "in shock" last night, but was recovering and had been reassured by the "outpouring of support" online.
"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," she said.
Labour's shadow women and equalities minister
Dawn Butler was among those who criticised Mr Field, tweeting: "This is horrific... He must immediately be suspended or sacked."
Fellow
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi added: "No one who reacts like this to a peaceful protest should be sitting in our Parliament."
And
Jess Phillips MP tweeted: "Every MP has to deal with protest and conflict, it is done with words. To watch this is so so awful."
Meanwhile
Liberal Democrat MP Chuka Umunna described Mr Field's actions as "totally unacceptable" while
former Tory MP Sarah Wollaston said it was "absolutely shameful, a male MP marching a woman out of a room by her neck".
But one of Mr Field's Conservative colleagues, Sir Peter Bottomley MP, said he had done nothing wrong.
"I think Mark Field did the right thing. He prevented the woman going further, he reversed her direction and she went out pretty willingly," he told the BBC.
"He intervened - I congratulate him for that, I would have done the same. Although she may have been harmless, others won't be."
Sir Peter said that attacks on MPs and their staff meant that such protests could not be ignored.
"Not intervening often has a cost, and if this becomes a fashion, there will be casualties," he said.
