A video that has gone viral on social media shows an elderly woman clutching the handrail as she tries to climb the stairs, only to be told by a man ‘you’ve got legs’ and to go around him
An elderly woman was obstructed from using the stairs to exit a London Tube station as a man filmed himself brazenly refusing to move out of her way. The video, which subsequently surfaced online, has since gone viral.
The brief clip was recorded by the man himself as he refused to budge because he was too busy “relaxing” to make space for the 80-year-old lady. In the full social media footage, an elderly woman can be seen clutching the handrail as she tries to climb the stairs, only to encounter a man blocking her route.
“I want to come up the stairs,” she calmly informs him. Rather than stepping aside, the man retorts: “Don’t touch me,” before stating that he is filming the incident. As the woman courteously requests him again to move, he refuses.
“I’m here relaxing,” he declares, before suggesting she “go round” instead, reports the Mirror.
When the woman explains she cannot, the man responds: “You can, you’ve got legs.” The woman then tells him she is 80 years old, but he remains unyielding. He simply replies: “So?”
After asserting for a third time that he is filming, the woman loses her cool and retorts: “I don’t give a damn what you’re doing. You’re extremely rude and arrogant.”
The video abruptly ends when the woman seeks assistance from a man in hi-vis, who was also ascending the stairs, telling him the other man was blocking her way.
The footage of the altercation, believed to have occurred at Harrow and Wealdstone station in north London on Wednesday, has ignited widespread indignation online. The majority of internet users have roundly criticised the man for his stubbornness.
One individual posted on Facebook: “Move and help her up the stairs, show some respect!”.
Another remarked: “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 chimed in with: “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, previously known as Twitter, another social media user commented: “Looks like she needed the handrail to help her. Totally unnecessary aggravation just for social media!” Another chimed in: “She needed that handrail. This pointless person agitated her for his pathetic content.”
Responding to the incident, Transport for London’s lead for Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience, Mark Evers, stated: “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.”