Police said on Wednesday they were investigating an allegation of assault over the forceful ejection of an 82-year-old heckler from last week's Labour Party conference.
Stewards threw out Walter Wolfgang after he shouted "liar" and "nonsense" during Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's speech on Iraq at the conference in Brighton.
Another delegate who complained about his ejection was also thrown out of the hall.
The treatment of Wolfgang was captured on film, severely embarrassing the party and forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair and other senior government members to make numerous apologies.
"We are going to investigate a complaint of assault in relation to the incident in which Mr Walter Wolfgang was removed by stewards from last week's Labour Party Conference in Brighton," a Sussex Police spokesman said.
He declined to say who had made the complaint.
Officers will prepare a file to be sent to prosecutors who will decide whether to proceed with criminal action.
The day after the incident, Blair said: "People are perfectly entitled to freedom of speech in our country and we should celebrate that fact and I'm really sorry about what happened to Walter and I have apologised to him."
LONDON (Reuters)
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