2 versions of the story here; one from the Press Association followed by a rather stronger line taken by the Morning Star

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1 LABOUR Iraq Protest ANGER AS ELDERLY IRAQ HECKLER IS THROWN OUT

By Andrew Woodcock and Vivienne Morgan, PA Political Staff

An elderly delegate was thrown out of the debating chamber at Labour's Brighton conference today after heckling Foreign Secretary Jack Straw over the Iraq War.

The man, believed to be in his 80s, was bundled out of the hall's balcony after shouting 'That's a lie' as Mr Straw rejected calls for British troops to be brought home from Iraq.

A younger man sitting nearby was also ejected after complaining about his treatment at the hands of stewards.

Their behaviour was condemned as "very heavy-handed" by Labour MP Linda Riordan, whose own attempt to have Iraq debated was blocked by conference organisers.

And a protest about the incident was raised on the conference floor by Mole Valley delegate Carol Hayton, who told session chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham: "We are very concerned about the way in which a gentleman of over 80 was manhandled from the balcony.

"Perhaps more appropriate action could have been taken, but this was an 80-year-old gentleman and I am sure that Jack Straw, a politician of great experience, is able to deal with events of this kind without that kind of response from our stewards."

Sir Jeremy said that Labour's Conference Arrangements Committee was looking into the incident and would report back tomorrow.

Ms Riordan's Halifax constituency party tabled an emergency resolution calling for phased withdrawal of British troops.

But this was ruled out of order by the CAC, which instead gave the go-ahead to debates on issues including gender equality.

The MP said she was "very disappointed" at the decision: "We've had one speaker in this debate on Iraq and we have 8,000 of our troops there.

"The silence on Iraq at this conference is deafening, absolutely deafening."

She said that the treatment of the heckler gave her "an uneasy feeling".

"You can't stop ordinary members of the Labour Party having a debate about Iraq," said Ms Riordan. "It's not taking place in the conference hall, but it is going on in the bars and the corridors."

Ms Riordan was sitting just a few rows in front of the ejected man when he began shouting.

"He was immediately surrounded by three or four stewards and physically lifted off his feet and bundled out of a side door," she said.

"The treatment was very heavy-handed. It was over the top.

"It was tactless and unnecessary. The Foreign Secretary is perfectly capable, given his experience, of dealing with hecklers."

Ms Riordan's predecessor as Halifax MP, the prominent anti-war campaigner Alice Mahon, also witnessed the incident.

She told Sky News: "We were listening to Jack talking about Iraq. This gentleman shouted 'That's rubbish, that's a lie'.

"Two or three of the security people dived on him. This other chap a couple of rows in front turned round and said 'You must be joking', because this was simple political heckling. He wasn't threatening anybody.

"He got manhandled out as well. I think they were really over the top."

A Labour Party spokesman said: "Following a disturbance in the visitors' balcony, two people were escorted out, having been asked three times to be quiet."

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EMBARRASED Labour conference officials promised an inquiry yesterday after an 82-year-old delegate was brutally forced from the hall simply for expressing dissent.

Walter Wolfgang - a Labour Party member for 60 years - was roughly manhandled from the hall by stewards yesterday after he heckled Foreign Secretary Jack Straw over the war on Iraq.

The delegate, sitting in a balcony section, shouted “That’s a lie” as the Foreign Secretary rejected calls for British troops to be withdrawn.

As the Blairite thugs ejected him, another delegate began shouting “Leave him alone”. Stewards then turned on him and shovd him out of the hall.

Their behaviour was condemned as “very heavy-handed” by Labour MP Linda Riordan, whose own attempt to have Iraq debated was blocked by conference organisers.

A protest about the incident was raised on the conference floor by Mole Valley delegate Carol Hayton, who told session chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham: “We are very concerned about the way in which a gentleman of over 80 was manhandled from the balcony. “

Sir Jeremy said that Labour’s Conference Arrangements Committee was looking into the incident and would report back today (THU).

Halifax MP Linda Riordan said that Mr Wolfgang’s harsh treatment gave her “an uneasy feeling.”

She added: “It was tactless and unnecessary. The Foreign Secretary is perfectly capable, given his experience, of dealing with hecklers.”