A Green Party councillor in Birmingham has been charged with assaulting five individuals, including three police officers. Siobhan Harper-Nunes, 66, was arrested on August 6 following reports of disorder in Edgbaston.
West Midlands Police stated that Harper-Nunes was initially taken into custody on suspicion of assault. On Friday, she was formally charged with assaulting a member of the public, three police officers, and a member of police staff. The incident occurred near the junction of Monument Road and Hagley Road around 5 p.m. on August 6.
Harper-Nunes, who represents the Ladywood ward on Birmingham City Council, also stood as the Green Party's candidate in the 2024 West Midlands mayoral election. The Green Party has suspended her as a councillor with immediate effect pending an investigation.
She has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on September 10. Harper-Nunes had previously contested a seat in the Gravelly Hill ward during the May 2022 Birmingham City Council elections and was the Green Party candidate in the 2022 parliamentary by-election for the Erdington constituency.
Describing herself as an experienced political campaigner rather than a career politician, Harper-Nunes founded Shakti Women in 2006, an organization aimed at assisting women in balancing their personal and professional lives through various activities. She also served as vice-chair of the Birmingham Race Impact Group, advocating for education and attitudinal change. In a 2024 interview, she emphasized that politicians should set positive examples and expressed a strong stance against prejudice in politics.