A video circulating online appears to show a protester being grabbed by the hair and hit over the head with a walking stick.
Police issue update after heckler’s hair pulled at Reform UK conference (Image: PA Media)
Police have renewed calls for a heckler to come forward after she appeared to be attacked by elderly audience members at the Reform UK conference. West Midlands Police also appealed to the public for information after footage on social media appeared to show the woman being grabbed by the face, pulled by her hair and hit over the head with a walking stick at Birmingham’s NEC on Saturday.
West Midlands Police said: “Our enquiries are continuing and we would ask the woman involved to come forward. Anyone with any information should contact us on 101 quoting log number 924 of 5 September.” Demonstrators interrupted Nigel Farage‘s speech shortly after erecting a banner that condemned donations to his party. Reform UK has denied any wrongdoing regarding donations.
Mr Farage laughed during the disruption and said: “We’ve got a screamer. Oh dear.” Addressing the conference hall, the Reform leader chanted “boring, boring, boring” after she was removed.
The party has come under intense scrutiny after the video was widely shared on social media and condemned by several MPs. However, Reform UK Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick told the protester to “get a life” when speaking to Sky News.
“Oh boo hoo,” he said when asked about the incident. “You take your chances if you go to a party conferernce and try and mess it up.”
When the video was played in the background, he said someone had tried to “wreck the leader’s speech” and “cries foul if a pensioner knocks her over the head with a zimmer frame”.
He added: “Come on, get a life. This person knows what they were doing, they were trying to cause trouble and they probably got more publicity as a result of this.”
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf, however, condemned the audience members who appeared to hit and grab the woman. He said: “On the question of whether I condemn people punching people, yes, I condemn people punching people.”
Activist group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest. The group said they were “horrified at the violence” from audience members at the conference.
One protester called Reform UK “a bit dim” after claiming that she bought tickets to the event under the same name and account as last year, when she was also disruptive.
“I’ve been a member for two years just to be able to buy Reform conference tickets, and they didn’t flag, they just didn’t notice,” she said.
“I do think it’s ridiculous that after I disrupted them last year they asked me to be a councillor but, you know, some people are just a bit dim.”