Friday, April 25, 2008

CEN: strikes equal violence

Front page of the Cambridge Evening News today "I was punched by strike teacher" You can see the story on page nine here. The wording on the front page reads "A brawl broke out in Cambridge during a march by 400 striking teachers [sic]. Furious 62-year-old Gay Housden told how she was punched in the face after confronting a woman protester."

So if you see any strikers you better watch yourself as they tend to lash out at all and sundry by the looks of things. Although... it's an interesting spin on an event when you read even the version the CEN is putting forward which, when stripped down, goes like this;

  1. Demonstration passes shop.
  2. One shop worker, Housden, runs out in a rage.
  3. She tries to "grab their loud hailer".
  4. The woman who Housden was trying to mug punched her in the face.
  5. How sad.
Perhaps in future Housden wont think screaming abuse at people and then trying to take things that don't belong to her is such a good idea. You'd have thought by 62 she'd have learned that, although it's interesting that the CEN now thinks that defending yourself against being mugged is something to be admonished.

I feel a letter coming on, letters@cambridge-news.co.uk.

5 comments:

Jim Jepps said...

And here's my letter to the CEN;

I read your report "I was punched by strike teacher" (Friday, 23th April) with interest. Whilst I wasn't there and so can't testify to the accuracy of your report if the facts are as you have stated them then the front page headline was seriously misjudged.

You describe how Gay Housden was outraged by the peaceful demonstration passing her shop, rushed out to berate the teachers and then attempted to take a megaphone that was not her property. The teacher was forced to punch Housden in order to defend herself and her property.

I've not noticed previous editions of your paper defending street robbery - is this a new policy or does it only apply when the victims are striking teachers?

I'd like to extend my sympthy to the lady with the megaphone for having to undergo both verbal abuse and the manhandling she had to undergo in the course of the attempted mugging. Perhaps the next time the CEN reports on an attempted theft they could show a little more support for the victim.

Yours,

Jim Jepps

Anonymous said...

slating the woman who was punched aint gonna do youh any good youh dont wot that miss berridge is like look on her records !!!!!!

Jim Jepps said...

Gay attacked her not the other way around - as always the stupidest comments are anonymous.

She was left shaking all afternoon because she harrassed someone in the street, tried to rob them and was fought off - poor her.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to type my user ID in!

Jim Jepps said...

You're more forgiving than I am Optimiser.

I'm sure it is unpleasant to be physical prevented from stealing someone else's property - I just think some people will only learn the hard way and I don't believe anyone should feel sad for this horrid woman.