York readers reveal own experiences of deliberate barging
SCORES of readers have shared their own experiences of being barged in public places after a York woman described being left shaken following an incident outside York Railway Station.
Fiona McCulloch, of York Citizens Advice, sparked a lively debate after writing about what she believed was a deliberate shoulder barge by a stranger and highlighting a phenomenon known in Japan as "barging men", where people are intentionally targeted in crowded public places.
The article prompted nearly 150 comments on The Press Facebook page, as well as discussion on our website, with many readers saying they had experienced similar incidents themselves.
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Some described occasions where they believed they had been deliberately targeted.
One Facebook reader posted: "This happened to me in Manchester. It was so weird, had no idea this was a thing."
Another said she experienced a similar encounter in York city centre. She wrote: "This happened to me last year while walking along Lendal. Looks like a new way to get away with some sort of assault. I hope these people that think this is ok get prosecuted eventually."
Others agreed with Ms McCulloch's suggestion that some offenders may deliberately target people whom they perceive as less likely to challenge them.
A reader using the tag 'Donkey Derby' commented: "An interesting and thought-provoking article.
"Sad though unsurprising that some of the perpetrators seemed to target women travelling alone, particularly those who appeared physically smaller or less likely to challenge them."
'Yorkieroy60' added: "Such tough guys barging women or people small in stature..."
Several readers, however, pointed to what they see as other causes of collisions in busy public spaces.
'YMB' argued that people distracted by mobile phones are a more common problem.
"The worst offenders for barging are people with their head stuck down looking into their phone screen, they are oblivious to where they are going and then blame others for bumping into them," they wrote.
'Marc 1' suggested joggers can also create difficulties for pedestrians.
"Worst offenders are joggers, both male and female, come banging into you even though there's plenty of room to pass," they commented.
The discussion also featured readers sharing unusual encounters elsewhere in the country.
A female reader recalled witnessing similar behaviour at Manchester Airport, while another described seeing a man barging into several people at a festival. They said: "I saw a lad in the distance walking towards us, barging into four or five people knocking them flying."
One reader raised questions about whether such incidents fall into a legal grey area at all.
"Uninvited and forceful physical contact is assault, surely?" he wrote.
One reader said the behaviour fitted a wider pattern. "It's a power thing. Just another everyday assault being exacted over women they target as smaller or easy to make fall."
While readers differed on the causes, many agreed the article had highlighted an issue often dismissed as accidental or insignificant.
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