BBC Reporter Calls Out Misogyny After Being Abused Live On TV

Fiona Irving took to Twitter to say: "It's not funny. It's misogynistic."

Warning: the video below includes language that some may find offensive.

A BBC journalist has condemned the misogyny she faced after her live broadcast was hijacked by men shouting abuse.

Fiona Irving’s piece to camera on Brighton’s bin strikes on Tuesday evening was interrupted by seven yobs who ran across the camera.

One was heard yelling “F*** her right in the p****!”.

The broadcast was cut short and returned to the studio where newsreader Chrissy Reid apologised, saying: “Oh dear, apologies about the interruption there.”

The reporter later took to Twitter to “call out” the behaviour as “aggressive and threatening”.

Irving wrote: “Reporting live on the refuse collectors strike in Brighton today when around 7 men jumped in front of the camera shouting aggressive and threatening terms. It’s not funny. It’s misogynistic. Just calling it out.”

Reporting live on the refuse collectors strike in #Brighton today when around 7 men jumped in front of the camera shouting aggressive and threatening terms. It’s not funny. It’s misogynistic. Just calling it out.

— Fiona Irving (@journofi) October 5, 2021

The attack came as justice secretary Dominic Raab echoed Boris Johnson in refusing to back calls for misogyny to be made a hate crime.

“I think we have often seen, in the criminal justice system over decades, people trying to legislate away what is an enforcement problem,” he told BBC Breakfast.

He said misogyny is “absolutely wrong whether it’s a man against a woman or a woman against a man”.

BBC host Sally Nugent quickly jumped in, and read out the definition of misogyny to Raab as “hatred against, directed towards, women”.

Raab was talking about the new inquiry ordered by home secretary Priti Patel into how a serving police officer murdered Sarah Everard.

Close

What's Hot