News / Politics
Jacob Rees Mogg caught up in fracas at UWE Bristol
Violence broke out at UWE Bristol during an appearance at a student event by a prominent Conservative backbench MP.
Jacob Rees Mogg was confronted by masked protesters on Friday evening, with the North East Somerset MP caught in the scuffles which saw the police being called.
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Rees Mogg approached the protesters at the back of the room and attempted to reason with them, before students and protesters became involved in a scuffle which continued out into the corridor.
It is understood that a small group of protesters broke into the lecture theatre where the event organised by the Student’s Union Politics & International Relations Society was taking place.
Both university security and the police were called and later stayed for the duration of the event, before escorting Rees Mogg back to his car after the event finished.
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“They only wanted to shout, they weren’t physically threatening,” Rees-Mogg told BBC News.
Asked if he had felt threatened or in danger at any point, he shook his head, saying: “If I had felt threatened, I would not have gone up to talk to them.
“They’re British. They weren’t going to do me any harm. They disagree with me. They disapprove of everything I stand for but they’re good honest British citizens. They weren’t going to hit me.”
UWE Conservatives vice-president William Bates told Bristol24/7 that the event on Friday “was attacked by violent far left protesters”.
He said: “I was the person who made the 999 call for the police to attend the event. I was hit as shown in this video by a protester”.
In a statement, a UWE Bristol spokesperson said: “We support the democratic right of free speech and peaceful protest. However, we strongly condemn the actions of protesters who disrupted normal debate and behaved in this way. There is no place for such action on a university campus or in a civilised society.
“We are delighted that Mr Rees Mogg was able to speak and debate with our legitimate student body in a respectful manner. We would like to thank him for his composure and actions to diffuse what must have been a challenging and unprovoked incident. We will work with the police to identify the individuals involved and take appropriate action.”
Main photo from @chloekayex
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