Alarming trend of women being body slammed by ‘bumping men’ spreads across London: Report
A 20-year-old woman was left injured after being body slammed to the ground by a man in a disturbing random attack in East London, part of what many fear is a spreading incel trend known as “butsukari otoko”, according to Metro.
The man ran into her, knocking her down so hard she was left with cuts, bruises, and whiplash.(Representational Image/pexel)
Ayla Mellek was walking along Mile End canal with a friend when a large man, around 6’4″, ran directly into her at full speed on Sunday, knocking her down so hard she was left with cuts, bruises, and whiplash.
“After he collided with me, I heard a grunt of satisfaction come from him,” Ayla told the outlet. “Bear in mind, he is huge and around 6ft4 tall. As he came towards me, I turned my body to make a gap for him to run through, but instead he ran at me at full speed and completely bodied me.”
The force of the impact knocked her to the ground face-first. “It felt like he was trying to knock me into the canal, but the way my body was turned it meant I hit the ground instead,” she added.
Though initially she thought it might have been an accident and didn’t report it, her mind changed when a couple approached her moments later. They informed her that the same man had pushed an elderly man into the canal just hours earlier.
“They saw I was crying and heard what had happened and came and told me he had actually pushed someone into the water,” she said. “That’s when I knew it wasn’t an accident.”
‘Bumping man’
The violent act echoes a trend that originated in Japan called butsukari otoko, which translates to “bumping man.” It began in crowded train stations, where men would deliberately ram into women, and appears to be spreading globally.
The disturbing motivation behind the trend is a desire to feel physically dominant and superior. In a widely reported case, Japanese man Daisuke Nagata admitted to such behaviour, saying he targeted women “because it felt good.”
He told police: “When I got off a train once, my arm happened to hit a woman’s chest and it felt good. So I thought about how to do the same without being accused. I’ve done this dozens of times.”
Ayla posted about her experience on TikTok, which led to a flood of similar stories from other women.
“This happened to me outside of Old Street station a few months ago!” one user, Elly Bailey, wrote. “I was waiting to cross the road and a man running body slammed me so hard I got knocked over backwards onto the concrete… my camera that was in my bag broke from the impact.”
Another woman, Moanna, shared: “Happened to me on the Underground. A guy was running towards me, I turned my body to let him pass and he bumps right into me. Full force. Damaged my shoulder. No apology.”
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident.
“Police are investigating an assault that took place on Sunday, 4 May at 12:30hrs,” the Met said in a statement. “It is alleged a man pushed a 20-year-old woman as she walked along the canal in Mile End, Bethnal Green. She attended a police station the following day to report the incident. No arrests have been made. An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.”
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