During a meeting of her local Labour Party who were meeting to vote on a motion of "no-confidence" which would ban her from standing as an MP, a large group of enraged community workers, local activists and ordinary members of the public chanted "Hazel - Out" whilst the national media waited eagerly for the results of the vote.
Welding a pair of prison handcuffs and a warrant sheet, Salford Youth Council co-chair David Henry was in attendance accompanied by a group of homeless and unemployed young people who live in the city, which is of the poorest areas in the North West of England.
Mr Henry said "We plan to perform a citizen arrest on Mrs Blears at the request of hundreds of local people who feel she has committed a serious crime I believe is enforceable under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984". An elderly resident stood in the typical Manchester rain holding a placard which read "Is Hazel Nuts?" told the Independent Newspaper "That woman has brought us nothing but trouble since she was elected. We want her out. She has done nothing for the people of this city."
Over a week ago Mrs Blears, who has represented Salford within the UK Parliament since 1997 resigned from the cabinet as Minister for Communities and Local Government follow the publication of MPs expenses which revealed she had failed to pay a tax bill of over £13,000. The bill was due on her second home which is paid for by the British tax-payer.
As news reached the rain-soaked media and protesters outside the Civic Centre in Salford that the Local Constituency Labour Party had voted to let her keep her job, the embattled member of Parliament failed to show her face to the waiting crowd which included national news crews and instead escaped via a side door.
Mrs Blears has vowed to stand at the next general election, meanwhile the protesters claimed they still intend to campaign for her to resign and will attempt to perform a citizens arrest on her wherever she appears in public and are urging her to turn herself in to police so that the courts can decide whether or not she should be brought to justice.
Protest organised by Stephen Kingston of the Salford Star http://www.salfordstar.com/
David Henry is Co-Chair of Salford Youth Council http://www.salfordyouth.org.uk
Saturday, 20 June 2009
British MP Hazel Blears faced angry local constituents who threatened to perform a "Citizens Arrest" on the disgraced politician following on from the ongoing expenses scandal outside Salford Town Hall in Greater Manchester.
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