Legislative violence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legislative violence broadly refers to any violent clashes between members of a nation's legislature, often triggered by divisive issues and tight votes. Such clashes have occurred in many countries across time, and notable incidents still regularly occur.
Although the sight of brawling politicians is incongruous with a legislature's stately image, its occupants, like in any other workplace, are still prone to stress and anger. The confrontational nature of politics and the high stakes often add to the simmering tensions.[1]
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[edit] Ancient Rome
Roman general and dictator Julius Caesar was famously assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March, 44 BC during a meeting of the Roman Senate. The senators, led by Cassius and Brutus and calling themselves Liberatores, had conspired in secret to kill Caesar and considered various ways to do so. Ultimately, they decided to kill him during a meeting of the senate, since only senators would be allowed in the meeting and Caesar would be alone. The senators drafted a fake petition requesting that Caesar hand over power to senate; Caesar called a meeting of the senate to read it. When Caesar met the senators cum assassins at the Theatre of Pompey, they stabbed him repeatedly with daggers concealed under their togas, killing him. Caesar's assassination lead to a civil war for control of the republic, ending ultimately with the rise of Caesar Augustus and the founding of the Roman Empire.
[edit] India
[edit] Tamil Nadu
Riots broke out in the state legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu over a vote.[2]
[edit] Uttar Pradesh
Riots broke out in the state legislative assembly in Uttar Pradesh with MLAs using microphones, chairs as weapons.[3][4]
[edit] Mexico
Hours before the scheduled Oath of Office ceremony for Felipe Calderón in the Legislative Palace, the legislature erupted in a brawl. It was the latest installment of the string of fistfights that rattled the Mexican legislature. The incident was broadcast on live television [5]. In spite of such events the ceremony took place. Calderón entered the Congress chamber through a back door directly onto the podium, and in a quick ceremony took the Oath of Office amid jeers. Then, after singing the national anthem which silenced the opposition for a while, he took a quick exit rather than deliver his inaugural address to Congress (the traditional follow-up to the oath taking).
[edit] South Korea
During a National Assembly vote on the motion to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun, supporters of the President openly clashed with opposition MPs for 20 minutes in an effort to stop the vote (which was in favor of impeachment) from being finalized.[6]
[edit] Taiwan
The Republic of China (Taiwan) is notably known for the numerous violent acts that occurs in its Legislative Yuan. It is popularly referred locally as "Legislator Smackdown" (立委群毆). In 1995, the Legislative Yuan was presented with the Ig Nobel Prize Peace Award, for "demonstrating that politicians gain more by punching, kicking and gouging each other than by waging war against other nations."
A serious scuffle broke out between the ruling and opposition party members after an argument over vote recounts from the presidential election.[7]
Lawmakers Chu Hsing-yu and Lai Ching-teh got into a brawl over legislative procedures. TV stations had showed Chu grabbing Lai and trying to wrestle him onto a desk. He then tried to headbutt his colleague before jabbing him in the stomach. The brawl resulted in having a traffic policeman called into the chamber to test Chu's alcohol level, after he was accused of being drunk. The tests showed no sign of alcohol influence.[8]
During a debate on a military hardware purchase ordinance, the opposition and ruling party engaged in a food fight after a disagreement broke out. [9]
Amid a proposal about creating direct transport links with Mainland China, DPP deputy Wang Shu-hui snatched the written proposal and shoved it into her mouth. Opposition members failed to get her to cough it up by pulling her hair. She later spat the proposal out and tore it up. This is the third time that the DPP’s actions have stopped a vote over this issue.
During the incident another DPP member, Chuang Ho-tzu, spat at an opposition member.[10]
According to BBC news, Legislators in Taiwan threw punches, sprayed water and wrestled violently, in a row over an electoral reform bill. The brawl broke out when more than 24 members of parliament from the formerly ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stormed the Speaker's podium. They were trying to stop the Speaker addressing the bill, and accuse the opposition of delaying the 2007 budget. [11]
[edit] United Kingdom
In the British House of Commons, the government and the opposition are separated by red lines drawn on the carpet. The red lines in front of the two sets of benches are two sword-lengths apart (some say a little more than two sword-lengths apart); a Member is traditionally not allowed to cross the line during debates, supposedly because the Member might then be able to attack an individual on the opposite side. These procedures were made because the Members were allowed to carry weapons into the House in its founding days.
- 1972
During a dispute over the conduct of British soldiers on Bloody Sunday, Independent Socialist MP Bernadette Devlin punched the then Conservative Party Home Secretary Reginald Maudling. Her aggression was in response to the comments made by Maudling, who was maintaining that the British Army had fired at Bloody Sunday protesters in self-defence, contrary to the testimonies of civilian eye-witnesses (including Devlin herself). She argued that she was being denied the right to speak. Her actions resulted in her being banned from the House of Commons for six months.
- 1976
In the aftermath of a rancorous debate with Labour MPs over the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Bill, Conservative Michael Heseltine was enraged by a group who began singing The Red Flag. He seized the chamber's ceremonial mace and brandished it over his head, but was restrained by Jim Prior, and after his departure legislative action was suspended for the day.[12]
[edit] United States
Federalist Congressman Roger Griswold of Connecticut attacked Vermont Representative Matthew Lyon with a hickory walking stick in the chambers of the United States House of Representatives. Griswold struck Lyon repeatedly about the head, shoulders and arms, while Lyon attempted to shield himself from the blows. Lyon then turned and ran to the fireplace, took up a pair of metal tongs, and having armed himself thus returned to the engagement. Griswold then tripped Lyon and struck him in the face while he lay on the ground, at which point the two were separated. After a break of several minutes, however, Lyon unexpectedly pursued Griswold again with the tongs, and the brawl was re-ignited.
The two men had a prior history of conflict. On January 30 of that year, Griswold had publicly insulted Lyon by calling him a coward, and Lyon had retaliated by spitting in Griswold's face. As a result of Lyon's actions in that case, he became the first Congressman to have charges filed against him with that body's ethics committee, although he escaped censure through a vote in the House.
Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina famously assaulted Charles Sumner of Massachusetts for a previous speech of his, alleging his brother Andrew Butler was a pimp who took "a mistress who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight—I mean, the harlot, Slavery." For several decades following, Senators often carried canes and even revolvers in the Senate Chamber, fearing a similar assault.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "When politicians attack...", BBC News, March 23, 2004
- ^ Riot in Indian State Assembly - New York Times
- ^ YouTube - Brawl In Uttar Pradesh State assembly , India
- ^ washingtonpost.com - search nation, world, technology and Washington area news archives
- ^ "Mexican Congress in brawl before inauguration". CNN. 1 December 2006.
- ^ "South Korean president impeached", BBC News, March 12, 2004
- ^ "Taiwan leader denies vote-rigging", BBC News, March 23, 2004
- ^ "Taiwan politicians brawl over procedure", BBC News, May 7, 2004
- ^ "Taiwanese MPs hold a food fight", BBC News, October 26, 2004
- ^ "Taiwan deputy halts vote by chomping China proposal", Reuters, May 30, 2006
- ^ BBC News, Legislators in Taiwan throw punches May 8, 2007
- ^ "Mace - Commons", BBC News, published December 22, 2005, accessed June 25, 2007.
- The July 8th, 2006 version of this article uses the translation of the corresponding Chinese-language Wikipedia article.
