A verdict that feels like a slap in the face to every working Londoner. An American influencer, boasting a "Maga"
brand of entitlement, has been found guilty of assaulting a Tube passenger. The victim, a mother on her way home from a night shift, suffered a broken wrist in the attack. The influencer, a 24-year-old man with a following built on confrontational content, had targeted her for the crime of asking him to move his luggage from a priority seat.
The courtroom heard how he called her a "snowflake" and a "
Brexit-bashing loser" before shoving her onto the platform. This is not just an assault.
It is a symbol of a creeping and violent disrespect for the civility that binds our communities. The judge, a woman who has clearly seen too much of this imported aggression, handed down a six-month suspended sentence and a fine. A slap on the wrist, say critics.
Others say it sends a message that our streets are not a stage for foreign political theatre. But ask any nurse, any cleaner, any ordinary person who uses the Tube daily: the assault on our way of life continues. The real cost of this influencer's arrogance will be paid in the anxiety of every passenger who now looks twice at a stranger's phone.
The union representing Tube staff has called for harsher penalties for attacks on transport workers, pointing to a rise in such incidents since the American's trial began. The question remains: when will the system defend the decent citizens who keep this city running?
