A London city councillor, Susan Stevenson, will be docked 30 days’ pay after her colleagues voted on the punishment following a report by the city’s integrity commissioner. The report found Stevenson violated the council’s code of conduct with a social media post in April that “unnecessarily” identified a senior city manager. The integrity commissioner determined Stevenson’s actions amounted to “harassment, bullying, and targeting” of the manager.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, councillors voted 8-6 to impose the penalty, with Stevenson recusing herself from the vote. The punishment was supported by several councillors, including Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira, who stated, “This is not a matter of freedom of speech, this is a matter of bullying and harassment.” However, several other councillors, including Corrine Rahman, Jerry Pribil, and Shawn Lewis, voted against the penalty.

The council meeting was disrupted by more than a dozen members of the public who shouted in support of Stevenson, causing a brief recess. Mayor Josh Morgan stated that one person was escorted out of city hall after the disruption.

The integrity commissioner’s investigation stemmed from a complaint by Kevin Dickins, deputy city manager of social and health development, who was identified in Stevenson’s post. The post, which included an altered quote of Dickins, was still visible on Stevenson’s X profile on Tuesday.