Mother hurling abuse on tram, do you think she should be arrested?

[himynameisfred]

Here is the video of it happening.

Do you think the police should respond?

I can't believe some people think that her use of swear words in front of children mattered more than the vile hatred she was spewing at people. It did not. Children hearing such vile sentiments is much more damaging to them than hearing the word fuck. and people hearing such vile sentiments directed at them is so much worse than bad language.

I'd rather my children sit with someone who says 'how the fuck are you, you're looking fucking well, nice fucking day isn't it, what you having for fucking tea then?' than sit with someone who says 'excuse me young sirs, would you mind kindly leaving the country, you are not white and this is unacceptable to me.'

It's all part of the same thing, Hecate. It's aggressive and disrespectful to swear like that.

Maybe you don't mind your dc hearing the word Fuck a lot, but most people do.

It is, but no more offensive/damaging than her racist bile!

Horrible behaviour. She did indeed seem off her face, not that that's an excuse. And I pity the poor kid, who looked unfazed as if this was simply par for the course.

She should suffer whatever the going rate for loud and abusive behaviour is in a public place. No less, but probably no more and I don't think the penalty should be automatically inflated because of the incident going through the mega-amplifier of Youtube.

I do worry a little though about this newly instituted crime of inciting racial hatred. Hatred is a thought not a deed and in a free society thoughts should not be illegal. So I can't see how inciting a thought should be illegal, unless she was also inciting violence.

Anyway I can't see how her outburst would encourage anyone else to feel hatred. Anyone who was not already consumed by hate would more likely feel sympathy for anyone non-white in the carriage. The woman's behaviour was so foul that she could only turn people's sympathies directly against her.

I agree, repeating the word on here is not clever or useful.

Well, Emma Addington, as she is known, has been charged with something. And I think the sweary sweary bit shall be frowned on too. I will be honest here, this happens alot on public transport. So glad that someone has made it known. I think anyone who has to spend alot of time on buses/trains/trams etc. is going to hear this shite at some point. When I have been sat in the middle of it, my deepest hope is that it doesn't kick off and turn into a round of all in wrestling. She was soooo lucky not to get her head kicked in. That sort of crap is what makes using buses a pain in the arse some of the time, and you are trapped in it and feel totally helpless to boot.

'That sort of crap is what makes using buses a pain in the arse some of the time, and you are trapped in it and feel totally helpless to boot.'

I agree, and we are often sold the virtues of public transport.

I'm inclined to agree with somebloke123 about incitement to hatred legislation. Verbally abusing someone for their ethnicity is horrible, but I'm not sure its necessarily any more horrible than abusing them for any other reason. Of course I realise I might feel differently if I wasn't white and English speaking (although I am an immigrant and have had the odd stupid comment).

The swearing and tone she uses DOES make her already vile comments even more aggresive and threatening.

She should be charged and punished for her actions.

I commend the passengers for not reacting with violence. TBH though I would have liked to see the tram driver stop the tram and have the police called there and then.

The fact that her little boy doesn't flinch or look remotely shocked at her tirade screams out that this is not a unique stuation, that he has witnessed this kind of behaviour previously, and probably sees it as normal. Therefore serious questions need asking over her parenting skills and they should be investigated further to check out any issues that may be there.

Oh, and not everyone who behaves in this manner has to be mentally ill, drunk or on drugs. Some people are just unplesant and behave appallingly. Yes, she may have been under the influence but also may be not.

I think people comment and give reasons why she may behave this way because they can't imagine anyone in their own real life behaving in this way for no apparent reason. Because it is so shocking.

'I commend the passengers for not reacting with violence.'

I have been on a tube train where something similar happened and there was no violence. Everybody pretended it wasn't happening. Everybody hoped it would end. Nobody reacted because they didn't want to escalate the situation. It was also obvious that the person was not rational and seemed mentally ill.

I think it was similar in this case. I think violence very rarely occurs in these situations.

Personally I think the charge should be "child neglect" above anything else because no way was she in a capable state to provide care. Lets hope the safeguarding people are taking a good look at her.

yes, she may not have been under the influence but she is gurning like she is.

Dilly - I agree she should be charged with child neglect. I cringed for the child sat on her knee - and the racist stuff was secondary after that.

'I agree she should be charged with child neglect'

I doubt that that charge could stick. I think she should be charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.

Under stress, some people do explode and rant and rave in front of their kids, but I don't think that is child neglect.

I get the feeling this woman would kick off at lots of stuff: the disabled, richer privileged folk, folk with glasses, red hair whatever. She comes across as ignorant and probably an aggressive bully, someone just looking for a fight and she did look drunk or on drugs or similar.

Child abuse then Claig?

I used to know a family who came back from South Africa back in the early 1980s and every time I visited them they would be spouting off about blacks and asians and anyone else who was not 'White'.

They didn't know any different, but even now over 30yrs later they still hold the same views. I challenge them each time, but they are not really 'friends'.
They just think that they are 'entitled' to be British as they are white, which is frankly crazy!

'Child abuse then Claig?'

No, 2BoysTooLoud. It is terrible for the poor little boy. But it isn't abusing the child. She is abusing the passengers and that is what she should be charged with.

Well she looks deranged to me and is raging at a train full of people. That kid's got to live with that - she's not right. Not pleasant for the people at the receiving end of her raging but they're adults and can take care of themselves. The kid can't.

not defending her but do we know what happened before she started spouting on the tram? Did something (other than drugs) trigger this?

only right she was charged. Disagree with those who think her kid should be taken from her though.

Not necessarily taken away from her - but he needs SAFEGUARDING.