What would you do in this situation?
Cut and paste from BBC Web Site.
What is the right thing to do in the face of anti-social behaviour? It's a question being asked after the deaths of a number of people who decided to step in to stop what they saw as troublemakers. Here broadcaster Jeremy Vine explains why for him, sitting back is no longer an option.
"I was sitting in a Tube carriage next to an attractive young woman who was reading a magazine. There was a guy sitting opposite me, who was kind of Neanderthal. He had obviously taken an interest in this woman.
"Hello darlin', give us a smile! Come on darlin'! It's not that bad is it?"
That was just annoying. But then he leant forwards and he started tapping her knee. And she kind of shrank back into her seat. I kind of 'tutted' and lifted my magazine even higher. That was my initial move.
Anyway, all the passengers on the Tube were aware of this. The Tube stops. He gets out of the doors - the thug. He walks off down the platform, we're all quite happy he's gone. Another passenger flips him a V-sign. The doors have closed, by the way, when he does this. And then the disaster happens - the doors reopen.
The thug runs back in. He's six foot three, his muscles are so big they're flexing against the Tube glass, and he just starts beating seven bells out of this fellow. And actually when you see physical violence or are on the receiving end of it, it's very very nasty.
His fist went into the side of his head, blood came out, another fist, the guy goes down on the carriage floor, and the thug walks off very happy with himself. And I did nothing. The carriage was pretty full. But none of us did anything. It was terrible.
If that lady was your mother,sister,girl friend or just a friend, would you still have just pretended nothing happened??I dont think so..NO matter what the consequences,we would react to it.
So why cant you be 'Manly' enough to react to these situations,even if that lady is nobody to you!!
And when the other man was getting hit,if one of the others had the guts to speak up and take the first step to help him out,I guess the others would have joined..
Be brave to stand up against what you feel is wrong!!
I don't live in a very multicultural place, a few Chinese, a few Indians and the odd Afro.
So my experience is lots of Brits watching youths create havoc on the bus and pretending it isn't happening.
Call me Maninibat!
In such a situation - the right choice is definetly to react. Irrespective of what the consequence might be. Violence is definetly some thing not to be encouraged - but in such an instance - to protect someone elses self-respect - I believe its justifiable if the person is forced to. Obviously the thug is a coward.
The word JIHAD these days have been so much misquoted and misused by different parties. But in the real definition of JIHAD - its said that lets say in such an instance - if a person stands up to this THUG and defends the lady - it is also considered as JIHAD! For many this might sound strange - but it is a fact! So those of you who really want to go for JIHAD - these instances are the right choices where-in you can serve a good cause. :-)
AR.
" Life is not a party we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well dance! "
"...Is it just the British who pretend ..."
..we all know that british nation today consists of people of tens nationalities, including indians, chinese, philippines, arabs, etc., and plus there are sooooooooo many tourists and visitors in london, so may be 10% of people around were from your country, 10% from my country, 10 % - from somebody's else country... It's not about NATIONALITY (can all understand it and stop generalize lebanese, syrians, egyptians, philippines, canadians or british??)!
…it is just so sad!
JBH..i dont think its just the British..Its a hard one really...Surely your safety comes first. For example in this scenario..this guys so strong,if you intervened you would end up like the other victim, on the floor and what use would you be to the woman and everyone else...but if it were a group of guys, then maybe they could take him on...Its not a black and white situation...its disgusting and very sad though that this happened..
Is it just the British who pretend they are not there and look the other way?
Call me Maninibat!
I really don't know what would have been the correct thing to do. Sometimes even pepper spray doesn't work, I carry with me all the time, but one time didn't work, and it was only luck, that nothing terrible happened to me.
Such people need someting stronger. I heard that gas sprays are effective.
I think it's despicable. I don;t know how people can just sit there and watch something like that happen. I don't think I could.
"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco