Well if thats the sort of material thats going through our universities, perhaps we're all wasting our time and money.

The so-called big fat bully who I though acted in a reasonably restrained manner under the circumstances has my deepest sympathy, as do all the other passengers on the train, the ticket inspector, the train company, the network and anyone else who was unneccessarily inconvenienced by one ill mannered, disrespectful tosser.

Publicly calling for the man who intervened to face charges whilst not saying that he is ashamed of his son's behaviour is a fairly reliable indicator, I think. If my father had seen footage of this kind of action from any of his children in the public domain, or found out about it by any other means, I think he would have disowned us, he would have been so mortified.

Lynn I cant determine from your profile where you live but the boy is not a man. He is typical of boys now in the UK of his age who have been babied at school and at home, you can see that from his bad behaviour and hat of choice.

You can see and hear it on TV when people excuse actions of 28 years olds by saying.....aww...they´re only young! These kids are most definitely the lost generation.

However, manhandling him to the extent he is physically thrown off a train and injured by a 35 year old man is not acceptable behaviour.

Are you advocating violence towards lippy kids?

so you are one of the do gooders ??

violence to lippy kids ?
manhandling kids that don't do as they are told ?

YES YES YES
that is what is wrong with the country !!
we let the do gooders run around sueing people who go to the assistance of someone being assaulted whilst sending the person doing the assaulting off on a public financed holiday to Tenerife. (well not quite the case but you get my drift)

Everyone is an island, but should understand that as they don't want to be disrespected they reciprocate and do not disrespect others.

There was a time I would never ever have said these things, but over the past couple of decades the way the aggressor has become the victim and the victim deserved it for being in the wrong place is not right.
A woman and children lose a husband and father - thats FOREVER !!
The person who took the man's life gets 2 years (but only serves 10months) is treated as the victim. Perhaps his father shouted at him when he was 6. Perhaps his teacher couldnt teach him his 3R's, that makes him The Victim.
What a load of crap.!
The aggressor gets a university education for free so he can fight the legal system.
The victim's children cannot go to university because their mother cannot afford the education she and late husband were working to provide for their children.
as I said earlier, everyone is an island - but must take the ultimate responsibility for their actions, inactions and understand that what they actually do in life is SERIOUS.

,

Feel better now?

Several commentators seem to advocate leaving everything to the 'law', without any input from ordinary people, almost an Orwellian-like idea of society. But it isn't like that, thank God.

Around ten years ago, the Alicante province was struck by a crime wave, mostly burglaries and muggings. The police authorities were totally overwhelmed. British expats got together and imported the idea of 'neighbourhood watch' from the UK to protect themselves.

The Spanish authorities didn't like it at first, especially when gated communities sprung up as well, but eventually realised that crime figures started to fall when citizens got together to work with the inadequate police system.

NHW is now established in most parts of 'expat' Spain and works very well.

At times you need to stand up and be counted, just like that man on the train. What sort of society would we have if everyone just looked the other way?

Without going too far back, I am much heartened to see three more voices of reason and common sense on this page alone.

Compliments to Lynn, Domino and HBG.

Maybe there is still hope for our present civilisation yet.

good post and my view too, there are too many things happening for the law to handle everything, especially minor infractions, to which the police dont want to know.

if everyone looked the other way we wouldn't have a society, unless you spelt it Anarchy.
the law cannot be everywhere, and without the support of society can never hope to ensure that the scrotes are dealt with.

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I don't see that where I live has anything to do with it, but actually I live in Velez-Malaga. Yes, I agree that young people seem to be infantilised by their parents to an alarming degree, but at 18, let alone 19, he is legally an adult and should be regarded as such. The fact that he doesn't behave like one just means that he has a lot to learn, and needs to learn it fast. As for his "hat of choice", why is that relevant? Some poor misguided people wear those things whatever age they are - ever seen Badly Drawn Boy?

Injured - do me a favour, he had a small graze on his face. He could have got that from falling over because he was drunk, I didn't see anything on the clip to indicate that the man had even touched his face.

It's a massive exaggeration to describe what that man did as violence. Yes, he used force, but force can sometimes be used for good, not just for bad, reasons.

One of the two occasions when I have hit a child was when I was walking through Manchester city centre to catch a train after working late (about 9.00 pm and dark). I passed two boys aged about 14 and one of them tried to snatch my handbag from my shoulder. I turned around and gave him a backhander which sent him flying, his mate just stood there open-mouthed with shock. I said "you picked on the wrong one there, didn't you. Now just F*** off" - and they did, sharpish. What would you have me do, stand there like Joyce Grenfell's nursery school teacher saying "George, don't do that". No chance.

The other was a school kid on a bus (again around 14, it must be a dangerous age) who was messing around and banging into other passengers - on purpose. I told him to pack it in and he did it all the more, so I gave him a slap. Am I sorry - no.

You do that to my kids and I'd have you up for assault. It's my job or the police's to reprimand my kids not some random member of the public. You can ask them politely to pack it in, you can report them but you touch them and swear at them and I'd give you hell. And how you consider your actions show those two boys the right way to behave is beyond me. You simply showed them that you got away with being a foul mouthed bully so they will.

The whole reason why some kids behave in this manner is because their parents DON'T ever reprimand them for anything. If you think I am going to "ask them politely" not to steal my handbag, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.

I never, ever use that kind of language unless I am addressing someone who will understand nothing else.

But you consider it ok to slap an unknown boy who is pushing and messing about? I think not. I'm not living in cloud cuckoo land, I'm simply telling you what I would do if you behaved like that to my children.

Know what I find most unbelievable about all the contributors to this thread who think it's unacceptable for people to take individual action to combat anti-social behaviour?

Not one of them has seen fit to condemn the action of the youth who stabbed the ticket collector in East Tilbury only a few days after the incident in Scotland. Says a lot about their skewed priorities.

Best bring up your little darlings in the knowledge that there are some monstrous people out there who simply won't put up with their antics, then.

It all comes down to what is reasonable. If someone tried to nick my bag I would have no hesitation whatsoever in using reasonable force to stop them or to get it back.

Defending your self or property from a mugger by 'giving him a backhander' is probably reasonable.