Latest news with #verbalabuse
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
'Women cyclists don't feel safe on West Yorkshire's roads'
Verbal abuse, sexual comments and motorists passing too close in their vehicles have become all too regular features of riding a bike in West Yorkshire, female cyclists have warned. In fact, one rider says the situation on the county's roads is so bad that a lot of women will no longer go cycling "because of safety"."I wouldn't say I feel safe on the road," says Frankie Leveton, from Huddersfield, who gets on her bike up to four times a week. "This war on cyclists is just perpetuating everything and making everything very dangerous for us out there," she Leveton, 30, says the abuse she has personally received while riding in areas such as Holme Moss and Dove Stone Reservoir has included sexualised comments shouted from passing cars."I don't know what their motivation is," she shrugs."Is it because I'm a cyclist and the culture at the moment is that they are the worst people on the road? Or is it because I'm a woman?"It's a testament to how much I love cycling, and how much cycling helps my mental health - that's my relief, my escape - that I'm still willing to go out." But the verbal abuse is not the only problem Ms Leveton has says that last year she reported at least 100 incidents of close passing by drivers to police, with action taken against the drivers involved in 82 of those to the Highway Code, drivers should leave a gap of approximately 5ft (1.5m) when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph (48 km/h), and they should give cyclists more space when overtaking at higher speeds."If I reported every driver that didn't give me 5ft, I wouldn't have time to ride my bike or go to work," Ms Leveton to West Yorkshire Police, between April 2024 and April 2025, 3,561 close passes of cyclists by vehicles were reviewed by those, action was taken in 2,547 cases, with the driver being eligible for a retraining course, receiving a fixed penalty fine or a court summons. Jillian Egan is also a keen cyclist, but she says the level of abuse she receives on the roads of West Yorkshire "is enough to put you off".Ms Egan, 39, whose regular routes take her around Huddersfield, where she lives, as well as Hebden Bridge and Holmfirth, says: "The other day, I went for a ride and thought, 'I only had one person shout at me today'. "Then I thought to myself, 'Isn't that a ridiculous thing to say?'"Ms Egan says that while there are "probably some cyclists out there that don't abide by the rules of the road", the abuse faced by female cyclists from motorists remains "a big problem".Both Ms Egan and Ms Leveton agree that women are being put off cycling by the abuse riders receive both in person and online."The safety in terms of cars especially is just a barrier for so many women getting into cycling," says Ms Leveton."The comments on Facebook posts about cyclists are quite terrifying."But, despite the abuse and safety concerns, Ms Egan says getting on a bike is still a "great way to get about" and she continues to "love cycling". Judith Brough, who is originally from The Netherlands and has lived in West Yorkshire for almost 30 years, says she experiences "some kind of harrassment" on one out of every three cycle rides."Close passes are really common," she explains."They are scary and, on top of that, you have someone rolling down their window and shouting inappropriate language at you."Ms Brough says incidents have included being followed, comments about her appearance and her body, and being flashed at by the occupants of vehicles."That's scary and not on," she says."If we want to encourage women to cycle more, it's not good enough to say you should cycle with a club or in a group."It should be okay to cycle on your own." West Yorkshire Police told the BBC that all submissions to its online portal for reporting driving offences, known as Operation SNAP, were reviewed by experienced officers.A force spokesperson said: "Where there is evidence of an offence, a notice of intended prosecution/requirement to furnish driver details is sent to the keeper of the vehicle concerned."Changing driver behaviour and attitudes through education was the "preferred option", however more punitive measures could be applied in more serious cases or in instances of repeat offending, they spokesperson added that West Yorkshire Police's JogOn initiative, launched in Bradford to tackle the abuse and harassment of female runners, was being expanded to include all sports - including cycling."Women and girls should be able to take part in sport without the fear of harassment and abuse," they added."We have zero tolerance for this kind of unwanted behaviour." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Olympian Gabby Thomas details scary ordeal with 'weirdo' fan at Philadelphia race
Gabby Thomas has revealed that a 'weirdo' fan verbally abused her and followed her around at a track meet over the weekend. Thomas, who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics last summer, competed at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia - ultimately finishing fourth in the 100-meter sprint. And after she posted on X to thank fans for their support at the race, one provocateur took to the replies to take credit for Thomas' disappointing result. The X account, named 'Mr 100k a day,' attached a video of him heckling Thomas, as he bragged in the post about making her lose and winning parlays he placed. Thomas then publicly criticized his behavior as she quote-tweeted his message to her 81,000 followers. 'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults,' she said. 'Anybody who enables him online is gross.' Thomas added in a subsequent post that she 'wasn't even going to tweet about it but [did] since he's bragging.' She also replied 'Facts' when another fan wrote: '... This type of thing only happens to the greatest athletes in each sport...' As seen in a video posted by the heckler, who was just feet away from Thomas, he called her a 'choke artist' before repeatedly saying 'you going down.' However, he also made things personal as he said he mentioned Thomas having a white husband, and said he would instead be rooting for Melissa Jefferson-Wooden because she has a black husband. In another online reply, Thomas actually said that 'the heckling is tolerable, it's following me around the stadium that's wild.' She also added that, aside from the heckler, 'overall the fans and spectators at this meet were the absolute best!' Legendary sprinter and Grand Slam Track Commissioner Michael Johnson responded to her troubling claims and said the organization was investigating the incident. 'So sorry you had to experience this Gabby!,' he said. 'We are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. Despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated.' Unfortunately, this is not the first harrowing situation that Thomas has found herself in this year. In January, she said that a group of men have been following her around at airports. Thomas alleged in a TikTok that the men have asked her to sign pictures, and act 'aggressive and hostile' when she rebuffs them.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Champion runner harassed and abused at track meet
Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas was verbally abused at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas reported on X that a man followed her, shouting personal insults while she interacted with fans. A separate X post showed Thomas being heckled on the starting line, with a person yelling: 'You're a choke artist – you're going down, Gabby.' The social media user claimed they "made Gabby lose by heckling her' so they could win a bet. Grand Slam Track has initiated a full investigation into the incident, promising to identify the person responsible and implement safeguards to prevent future incidents.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Angel Reese grateful for support from WNBA, Sky
May 20 - Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese thanked the WNBA and her team for their support as an investigation into verbal abuse directed at the 23-year-old during Saturday's loss to the Indiana Fever. Reese was praised on Tuesday by head coach Tyler Marsh for her handling of the incident, who said his team will continue to be there for the second-year star. "Obviously it's tough," Reese said. "But I think I have a great support system. I'm loved by so many people and obviously, in the moment it is hard to hear. But my support system is great. "I've gone through so many different things in the past couple of years in my life, but I think just having the support and this love, and being a part of an organization that really supports me and loves me is something I just couldn't imagine not being a part of." The league launched an investigation into conduct after social media users alleged that the ABC/ESPN broadcast of the game at Indianapolis picked up the incident in question. One video showed a male fan -- wearing a red replica Caitlin Clark jersey with matching shorts -- sitting courtside and making high-pitched noises while Reese shot a free throw with 4:38 left in the third quarter. On Sunday, the WNBA released a statement saying that it was "aware of the allegations" and looking into the matter. "There's no place for that in our game, there's no place for that in society," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said Monday. "We certainly want every person that comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience." Clark added that she did not personally hear any hateful comments from fans. Marsh said the Sky will stand behind Reese while shifting the focus to returning to the court Thursday to face the New York Liberty. "I mean, for her, it's about basketball, so I think that's where her mind is at," Marsh said. "And for us we want to be as locked in as possible to our game plan and what we want to do moving forward into Thursday. I mean, Angel's a winner. Angel's a competitor. And she wants to be there for her teammates and we're certainly there for her as well." --Field Level Media
Independent Singapore
18-05-2025
- General
- Independent Singapore
‘Not even I can stand how my sister behaves' — Employer shares concerns after sister's verbal abuse pushes their maid to resign
SINGAPORE: An employer took to social media to seek advice after her domestic helper expressed a desire to resign, citing frequent verbal abuse from a family member. Posting on Reddit's 'Ask Singapore' forum on Saturday (May 17), the employer shared that she lives with her elderly mother, who has mobility issues, as well as her sister and their domestic helper. She explained that the helper was hired because neither she nor her sister was able to manage her mother's caregiving needs alone. However, the situation at home has become increasingly tense. The employer alleged that her sister, who struggles with anger management, has been shouting at the helper and throwing things on the floor multiple times a day. 'It happens every day, maybe three or four times per day. No point talking, there is no reasoning that can be done with her,' she wrote, adding that attempts to calm her sister only lead to more outbursts. The helper has since told her that she wants to leave. 'I don't blame her,' the employer said. 'Not even I can stand how my sister behaves.' Now overwhelmed and unsure how to manage her mother's care without help, the employer ended her post with a question: 'How do I manage my mum's caregiving when the helper leaves? I am quite tired now and also have a lot of other issues. Thinking of just giving up and letting things happen. Does anyone have any suggestions?' 'Give your sister an ultimatum' In the discussion thread, several Reddit users weighed in with strong opinions and advice on how the woman could handle the situation with her sister. One user suggested taking serious action by involving the authorities. 'Report your sister so she gets a warning from authorities,' they wrote. '[You could also] help your helper transfer to a good home? Maybe pressure your sister to pay for the costs of getting a new one.' Another user didn't hold back and encouraged the woman to set firm boundaries. 'Give your sister an ultimatum,' they said. 'If she doesn't want to help out with caring for your mum, doesn't want to work and find a job, and still continues to verbally abuse the helper, then you can throw her out of the house and change the locks. She's not a minor, right? She'd better start learning to be independent and find work to support herself. Too free, nothing to do, lots of time having fun tormenting the helper. Don't enable her anymore.' A third user took a more practical approach and suggested a long-term solution. 'Put your mum in a nursing home so that your sister can't take out her angst on anyone,' they wrote. 'You wouldn't need the helper then, so your costs can go to nursing home fees.' According to the A.C.T. Against Violence's website, if you're being verbally or physically abused or mistreated in any way, or if you suspect that a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) is going through the same, there are a few things you can do to get help. One option is to report the situation to the police. They'll look into the complaint, and if they find that a crime has been committed, they will start a criminal investigation. Employers who are found guilty can face serious consequences under the law, and they might also be permanently banned by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) from hiring another FDW in the future. You can also call the FDW Helpline at 1800 339 5505 to speak with an MOM officer and learn more about next steps. Read also: 'How do I cope with a job that takes so much time away from my child?' — Man asks as he's 'scared of missing out on time' with his daughter Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
