A Catholic woman was thrown out of a council meeting after she accused local politicians of having blood on their hands over a multi-million pound development deal with a Chinese-owned company.

Maureen O’Bern was escorted from the public gallery of Wigan Town Hall after she interjected in a planning committee debate to complain about the persecution of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese state.

She held up images of Uyghurs in Chinese detention camps and told councillors they should not support a £135 million deal with Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI) UK to redevelop the town centre.

“You’ve all got blood on your hands,” she told them.

When she was asked to leave the building, she continued: “These people are being raped and tortured and being used for slave labour.

“Have you got any conscience? Because if you have, think long and hard before you go for this proposal.”

The meeting was temporarily adjourned until Mrs O’Bern, who in the summer was fired by the council from her job as a librarian for publicly criticising the deal, was led out of the crowded gallery by a member of staff.

Ten Labour councillors voted in favour of the redevelopment plan, while two independent and two Conservative councillors opposed it.

Afterwards Mrs O’Bern told the Catholic Herald: “I went along intending to speak my mind because I honestly think democracy is dying a death in Wigan. I am glad I spoke out.”

Crossbench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Catholic who has campaigned on behalf of the persecuted Uyghurs and against the deconstruction of democracy in Hong Kong, commended Mrs O’Bern on her courage.

He said: “Last week the Foreign Secretary was reported as saying that what is happening to the Uyghurs at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party is a genocide.

“This week, Wigan Council has signed a £135 million deal with a Chinese company.

“For questioning the probity of this, a librarian has lost her job and has now been prevented from making a protest. Maureen O’Bern has shown great courage.”

Lord Alton added: “I cannot understand why a local council can be so indifferent to the Uyghur genocide, to the destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy, to daily CCP threats to Taiwan and mass violations of human rights.

“This money-talks deal will bring great discredit to Wigan just as its attempt to suppress free speech has done.”

BCEGI is part of a joint venture partnership with developer Cityheart which welcomed the decision by the council to approve the deal.

“By working with the our appointed contractor, BCEGI, Wigan Council and the local community, we look forward to realising our vision and delivering a vibrant new destination for the town centre with green outdoor spaces and stunning buildings,” Cityheart director Warren Taylor told Wigan Today.

“This scheme will not only attract new visitors to the area but will also create an engaging community, breathing new life into the area and bringing with it long lasting social and economic benefits.”

Mrs O’Bern worked at Leigh Library, in the Wigan local authority area, for 34 years until she was suspended then fired after she objected on social media to the involvement of BCEGI in the redevelopment of the town centre.

The plans will involve the construction of a new shopping centre with a 150-room hotel, 464 homes, a cinema, a bowling alley and a centre for indoor mini-golf.

Mrs O’Bern had pointed out that awarding the contract to a company owned by the Chinese government was contrary to the professed commitment to human rights and oppressed minorities of Wigan Council, her then employer, because of such abuses by Beijing as the persecution of Uyghur Muslims and other religious groups.

Since 2014, the Communist state has subjected the Uyghurs to forced sterilisations, forced labour and forcible internment in camps for re-education.

A disciplinary hearing by the council concluded that her public criticisms of the contract broke the rules of her employment and constituted gross misconduct.

Mrs O’Bern, 58, was dismissed without notice by the disciplinary panel and she appealed unsuccessfully against her sacking. She is now intending to take her case to an employment tribunal.

(Photo by Simon Caldwell)

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