A man has been filmed blocking an 80-year-old woman from using the stairs at a London Tube station, telling her he was 'relaxing' and suggesting she 'go round'. The incident, believed to have occurred at Harrow and Wealdstone station in north London on Wednesday, June 24, has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
What happened on the stairs
The short clip, apparently recorded by the man himself, shows the elderly woman gripping the handrail as she attempts to ascend the stairs. She calmly says, 'I want to come up the stairs,' but the man refuses to move. According to The Mirror, he replies, 'Don't touch me,' before stating he is recording the encounter. When she politely asks again, he says, 'I'm here relaxing,' and suggests she 'go round' instead.
The woman explains she cannot go around, but the man responds, 'You can, you've got legs.' She then tells him she is 80 years old, to which he replies simply, 'So?' After repeating for a third time that he is filming, the woman loses patience and says, 'I don't give a damn what you're doing. You're extremely rude and arrogant.'
Social media reaction
The video cuts off as the woman appeals to a man in high-visibility clothing walking up the stairs for help, telling him the other man would not let her pass. The footage sparked fury online, with viewers mostly condemning the man. One person wrote on Facebook: 'Move and help her up the stairs, show some respect!' Another commented: 'He should not be blocking the stairs. The rail is there for a reason and all she wants to do is get past. Whatever happened to having respect for your elders?'
A third added: 'Poor woman. She needs to hold on to the handrail for stability and doesn't want to let go. It would have taken him two seconds to move to one side and let her pass. He has zero respect for others.' On X, formerly Twitter, one user said: 'Looks like she needed the handrail to help her. Totally unnecessary aggravation just for social media!' Another added: 'She needed that handrail. This pointless person agitated her for his pathetic content.'
TfL responds
Responding to the incident, Transport for London's lead for Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience, Mark Evers, said: 'This behaviour is extremely disappointing and completely unacceptable. We expect customers travelling on our network to treat each other with respect at all times. Thankfully, this is not a typical reflection of the millions of customer journeys taking place every day.'
