Mayor turns to magic in city tree row
IT is a dispute which has left a city at loggerheads.
But Sheffield’s new Somali-born mayor had a trick up his sleeve to diffuse tensions around the council’s tree-felling policy yesterday.
In a debate over protesters in court for disrupting contractors from felling trees on behalf of the Labour-run council, Magid Magid brought in a ‘magician’ to entertain councillors.
Mr Magid, 28, is a former refugee who became the city’s youngest Lord Mayor as well as its first Green Party member to be elected to the role.
During a break, he introduced scientist Hassun El Zafar. who tipped a glass of water over the head of Lord Paul Scriven, a Lib-Dem councillor. But cardboard and physics kept him dry. Mr El Zafar then urged people to take cover as Cllr Alison Teal pumped a toy rocket, which hit the desk where journalists normally sit. Mayor Magid said: ‘It is a great way to really showcase the amazing wealth of creativity we have in Sheffield.’
The tree-protest case ended at the High Court yesterday after a threeday hearing in the city. Paul Brooke, Simon Crump, Benoit Compin and Fran Grace are all said to have breached an injunction by obstructing felling. A 25-year, £2.2billion contract between the council and Amey involves the contractor resurfacing all Sheffield’s roads by 2020. The council says only street trees which are diseased, damaged or dangerous are removed. But protesters say many are just in the way.
Mr Justice Males imposed suspended two-month jail terms on lecturer Dr Crump and magician Compin after finding them in contempt of court. He said there should be no punishment for retired teacher Grace, beyond the contempt finding and adjourned a decision on whether joiner Paul Brooke was guilty of contempt.