Nigella. Would you have intervened?

[bkgirl]

So sorry for Nigella. Shocked no-one intervened. Was it because they were famous?

May be totally wrong but given his age could it be dementia? Could that explain her reaction?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2342414/Nigella-Lawson-choked-husband-Charles-Saatchi-pictures-spark-outrage.html

[Januarymadness]

If I had time to think and consider it properly I would call the police and be prepared to give a witness statement.

I have, however ended up in the middle of 2 men who were starting to kick off and calming them down. It was instinctive and only half way through did I think to myself "fuck this is a silly place to be"

[bkgirl]

Ponyofdoom - I am glad you used the past tense! Well done for getting out of it, no doubt it took great strength. Personally speaking, it's good to get the opinion of people with experience and not just "experts". Thank you.

[mignonette]

I have intervened in public and that triggered others in the vicinity to intervene too. I also have had to to break up situations like this in my job either between patients or sometimes patients and their relatives or when they attack staff.

I could not do nothing if I saw a human attack somebody in this manner. I will probably get myself stabbed one of these days as I always intervene if the situation warrants it. I am tiny BTW....However the photographer has intervened- the power of these photographs is immense. I like to think Nigella will not be the only person experiencing this type of aggression who will act to help themselves as a result of their being taken and published.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

i'd be more likely, in that exact situation, to get a member of staff to go up to them i think. i'd probably also have called the cops to say i'd witnessed an assault, in case they needed back-up for a court case. whoever took the photos did her a HUGE favour imo, much more than some have-a-go-hero interfering at the time.

[SirChenjin]

I wonder if the other diners in the restaurant feared a legal backlash from CS? Can you give an anonymous statement in these cases? (not that I'm justifying the lack of calls to the police whilst it was going on, I'm not, I'm just trying to imagine why so many people turned the other cheek)

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

i dunno. scott's of mayfair... who goes there? probably wealthy tourists and people who don't tend to give much of a fuck about their fellow humans. (which is how they are rich enough to lunch there in the first place). the elite lets a lot of things happen in the name of not rocking their silk-lined boats.

[SirChenjin]

Agree. The whole thing is very seedy.

[SirChenjin]

The whole thing as in no-one doing anything about it, I mean.

[MarshaBrady]

Pap has camera trained on them probably more likely to even see it than other diners. No idea where they were behind a vine or something out of view.

As an aside imagine being in those shots because you intervened.

Those shots are far more effective than a slanging match.

[SirChenjin]

I don't mean physically intervene - no-one called the police as it was going on, that's what I find really odd.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

well it's fairly benign, in a fucked up way, just slowly pressing on someone's throat. and our culture allows for it all the time, just look at all the women on the The Fall thread... totally undisturbed by extended scenes of torture in the name of entertainment.

[MarshaBrady]

There'd be an element of wtf that's CS, did I see that. With a frozen pic it's easier to decipher.

[AnyFucker]

Aitch, that is an interesting link re. the voyeurism involved in a tv programme like The Fall. I posted early on that thread after the 1st episode, then stopped watching it as I found the spurious shots of women being sexually tortured was outside of the realms of what I call "entertainment"

I worry the normalisation of male on female violence promotes the idea of "what goes on between couples is their own business" and stops outsiders from intervening in a timely fashion

[StealthPolarBear]

I honestly have no idea. I suspect not.

[StealthPolarBear]

WhT the hell is tbe fall?

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

totally. i found The Fall disturbing enough, but that thread was more so.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

tv programme, stealth, like anyfucker just said.

[SirChenjin]

I've never seen The Fall but it sounds hideous. Do I want to link to that other thread, or is it best left alone?

[StealthPolarBear]

Yes but whst sort of programme shows torture. Off to google, or maybe not

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

slick, empty drama masquerading as 'quality' thanks to excellent production values and cast. it's not worth watching imo, or reading about. it's all just part of this ongoing problem of normalising violence against women. (even though lead detective was 'strong' woman, albeit a clear mansplanation of strong womanhood rather than a fleshed out character).

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

loads of clever people liked it, btw. which was shocking to me but does in some way begin to explain the whole 'don't make too much of it' line.
talking of which, roy greenslade just fell off my christmas card list. www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2013/jun/17/nigellalawson-thepeople

[AnyFucker]

Greenslade has used this to have a go at a Redtop publication, he didn't give a shit about what the existence of the pictures might actually mean

Obnoxious, abuse-apologist man

[bkgirl]

Thought this was good...
www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/why-didnt-anyone-help-nigella-20130617-2odjb.html

[SauceForTheGander]

I'm not sure. I am the type to intervene and pre kids I stopped a fight on a London bus. I've done it recently to help an old woman who was being fleeced by some con artists. I somehow knew though I'd be in no danger and I was right. They walked off almost as soon as I approached them. The adrenalin was pumping and I made a right scene shouting after them. I'm not sure I would have done if it was a violent assault as I had my DCs with me. Those women in woolwich were incredible.

DH gets cross with me starring at people being shitty to their kids.

I would also worry my involvement would mean I'd put Nigella in a worse situation though l can see myself calling 999 to report an assault.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Charles Saatchi says images of him grasping his wife by the neck show a "playful tiff".

Playful my arse!. This is about power and control. If he can do this in public what is he like at home?.