By Martin Banks - 27th October 2011
My treatment was terrible
Richard Howitt
Senior UK deputy Richard Howitt has condemned the "unacceptable" behaviour of private security guards at a travellers' camp in the UK.
Howitt says he was "physically" manhandled when he tried to conduct interviews on the site a week ago.
He claims he was picked up by two burly security guards, "dragged" off the site and "dumped in the road".
He has lodged a formal complaint with the local authority involved and his case has been taken up by parliament's president Jerzy Buzek.
On Thursday, Howitt told this website, "My treatment was terrible and I am pleased parliament has agreed to take up by case."
Howitt met Buzek on Thursday and, afterwards, parliament said it would ask the British government to respond to his claims that his treatment at the Dale Farm site amounted to a denial of his freedom of expression.
Howitt also claims that the integrity of parliament had been damaged.
The deputy had tried to conduct interviews at a media area set up by Basildon council had set up in relation to the eviction of travellers from Dale Farm.
Howitt said, "I was picked up by two guards who dragged me to the edge of the site and dumped me in the road. It was awful. I regard this as a grave infringement of my basic rights. I had been given police permission to be there and they had no right to treat me or anyone like that."
He has received backing from S&D leader Martin Schulz who said he was "disturbed" by what had happened and called for an official investigation by parliament.
Describing Howitt as "a senior figure in our institution's struggle for human rights around the world," Schulz said, "Our freedoms have been hard won and interference with them by unelected officials is a sinister matter.
"We must oppose such behaviour vigorously, wherever it occurs: freedom of speech is a right that we must treasure and defend with all our might."
He added, "For a public authority to use its powers to enable the views of one political party to be heard and to inhibit those of another is an unfair, unjustifiable and unreasonable interference in my rights, which should be defended by the parliament of which I am proud to be a member."
The Labour leader in parliament Glenis Willmott said, "This stinks of a politically motivated attempt to silence opposition to the council’s action", while S&D deputy Michael Cashman said, "As a democratically elected MEP it is inconceivable that you are not allowed to be heard.
"The issues affecting the people in Basildon, across the communities are of concern for every major political party. And you should have been given the opportunity to express your views."
UK MP Hilary Benn said, "It is very hard to believe that an elected representative should be prevented in this way from talking to their constituents or to the media."
