Is this hate speech against women?

[Cleebope2]

I was queueing to get into Boots in a city centre today and a man with a megaphone was standing shouting at the women in the queue that we are sinful and will burn in hell for buying beauty products. Make up is from the devil and real beauty in women does not need make up. Beauty products pit women against each other. He was aggressive and intimidating. As we entered the door he shouted at each women that she was entering the threshold of Hell. There were many young women in the queue who were silent and put their heads down. No one confronted him. I was angry and asked the women who was monitoring the entrance if I could report this hate speech to the manager. She said he is there all the time and they can’t do anything about it. He moved on when he saw I was trying to report him but he just started all over again at Primark down the street. What can be done to stop this misogyny in a public place? I filled in an online form when I got home but I’m sure it won’t be taken seriously.

I mean he sounds like he might have... you know...some serious mental problems. I would notify security guards or even call non emergency police but someone doing that is probably quite unpredictable so would not recommend confronting directly

The man sounds clearly unwell and more likely needs some support from a mh team than to be called out as a "misogynist".

Funny how all the sympathy is immediately with the man, even on FWR!! If he'd been calling out racist/homophobic/racist abuse I wonder how long he'd have lasted. Also someone angry and mental enough to get out a megaphone to yell at women in public could easily escalate to physical violence. Call the police next time. It's probable they've had to move him on before, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't come out and move him on again.

that was meant to say racist/homophobic/transphobic abuse, sorry.

How true. Imagine abuse directed at any minority and surely he would have been moved on. We should not have to put up with harassment like this from men. Disgraceful that nothing was done.

You'd think as well that Boots would want to do something to protect their staff and customers. Maybe worth a call to Head Office?

I second calling the police. He was shouting abuse and intimidating women.
You and the other women were right not to confront him directly.

I agree contact Boots. Tell them you are too scared to shop there and will refuse to buy anything or even enter the shop if he is there - use your purchasing power.

He does not have mental health issues. He is a Bible thumper and this is Belfast. The city centre is full of them and there is a history of this in Belfast but this one specifically targeted women. He was a youngish man, just a horrible hateful person not deranged. This needs to be stopped and he does not deserve any sympathy. If the police contact me I shall not be in any way open to the idea of MH.

What can be done to stop this misogyny in a public place? I filled in an online form when I got home but I’m sure it won’t be taken seriously.

Yes, it's totally misogynistic hate speech. And a public nuisance.

however ... you know that in the hate speech legislation, the one protected characteristic under the Equalities Act which is omitted in the hate crime legislation is sex.

So this nasty man's haranguing of women - public shaming and harassment - is actually not against the law.

Tells you all you need to know about what this society thinks of women's rights as citizens and human beings.

I had some bloke outside my local boots screaming that ‘all homosexuals should burn in hell’ and ‘god hates gays’
My son had come out to me the day before-which took a lot of guts for him to do that
I swear I almost decked him-being gay is not a crime (it’s my biggest regret that I didn’t)

They have their right to think what they like-I don’t care,but I also have the right to think what I want and neither of us have the right to scream about it in the street

I shop in Superdrug now if I see him there-they don’t do anything about him at boots

Even if this guy does have mental health reasons its not a reason to allow him to continue with his misogyny.

@Cleebope2 I think this should be reported to police. Potential offences are disorderly behaviour, or if he does it to you again, it is a course of conduct and the offence of harassment is complete, especially if you specify it caused you alarm or distress.

I live in Belfast and I know exactly the type of wingding who does this - was it Donegall Place it happened in? If I had been there I would have happily reported it.

however ... you know that in the hate speech legislation, the one protected characteristic under the Equalities Act which is omitted in the hate crime legislation is sex.

Religion is though, I'd have thought he was violating the customers rights to their beliefs (or lack thereof).

I sort of wish some of the women would emerge with their purchases ... and wave some tampons at him.

How does this insane man know the women identify as women in the first place? We hear all this stuff about males wearing makeup nowadays. Funny how people just assume that he's mentally ill, but it would immediately be hate speech if he was being homophobic or racist. Mental illness is flung around as an excuse for all sorts these days and I bet that excuse harms many genuinely ill people. You were right in wanting to report him. Hope he gets told to bugger off.

I'd report it as a hate crime, to either Stop Hate or whatever group operates in the area. They record the data and share details with the police, or at least they do in my area, so check what details they need from you and how they will be used.

Hate crime refers to much less so I don't see why it shouldn't be recorded. Burn in hell is a pretty extreme statement and it's how you perceive it.

Why didn't boots phone the police.

I'm peri menopausal and mid cycle
Today why do these idiots never appear to me when I'm ready to be in wind up mode

I find it so frustrating that the minute a man acts like an arsehole it’s mental illness. I’ve worked in mental health for many many yrs and shouting sexist crap at women isn’t a symptom of any mental illness I know

@Monsterjam

I find it so frustrating that the minute a man acts like an arsehole it’s mental illness. I’ve worked in mental health for many many yrs and shouting sexist crap at women isn’t a symptom of any mental illness I know

This 100%. Couldn't have said it better myself.

He sounds unwell. He'll probably move his furore onto different topics from week to week, in a cycle. Yes, the police maybe should have been notified, perhaps more for his wellbeing than anyone else's, but hate speech? No. Just an unwell man.

There's always men who believe this. And that we're "liars" because we "trick men" by wearing make up to "hide our true appearance". He's a misogynistic coward.

Yes, the police maybe should have been notified, perhaps more for his wellbeing than anyone else's, but hate speech? No. Just an unwell man

You can bet your last pound that had a woman stood outside shouting at transwomen similar things, she'd be arrested, have death threats, lose her job and be hounded for the next few years for transphobia. But misogyny? Nah. Fair game. Because no one cares about women.

NigellaAweso yes that’s the one, he’s there all the time apparently.Why do we put up with this crap? He knows exactly what he’s doing. A nasty piece of work. And now with Covid we have to queue outside we are easy to target. Usually I would walk past and ignore these nutters. I totally got the rage and was going to confront him but my 18 DD wouldn’t let me! I thought I read recently that misogyny was going to be added to hate crime legislation.

@YouJustDoYou I think you're taking things out of my post that aren't even there. I've not said that his behaviour is fine or acceptable, you seem to be inferring that I am of that opinion.

If a woman stood outside shouting at transwomen similar things, a woman who was clearly ill, then I reckon that she would be moved on by the police, if someone called them, as any man or woman was free to do so in the OP's situation. But I think that most people would recognise the ramblings of a seriously unwell person as opposed to a transphobe/homophobe, racist etc. I've seen it myself, a woman who is well known to MH services who stands in town during the period between her mental health declining and mental health services intervening, shouting a whole host of expletives at black/asian/anyone with features that makes them stand out really (in regards to race). She is sadly known in my home city as the town crazy lady and is sometimes cruelly filmed and put on social media and is the buttn of may jokes. However as I say, most reasonable folk recognise her outbursts as the ramblings of a mentally unwell woman. As it sounds the man in question in this post is. Not saying it's fine, but there is a very obvious distinction.