See a group of Toronto fans confronted by a reporter after their mate interrupted her interview by saying “f*** her right in the p****” into the microphone.
City News presenter Shauna Hunt was gathering opinions of fans outside the stadium following Toronto FC’s 2-1 loss to Houston on Sunday afternoon when the common vulgar comment was made.
Spotting a group of giggling supporters nearby, a frustrated Hunt tells them:
I get this every single day, 10 times a day, by rude guys like you.
When you talk into my microphone and say that into my camera to viewers at the station I work at, it’s disrespectful and degrading to me.
An apology was not forthcoming however:
You’re lucky there’s not a f****** vibrator in your ear like in England because it happens all the time.
Support has since poured in for Hunt, who told the Toronto Sun:
This is what I want out there.
It’s been going on for nearly two years, sometimes numerous times a day. Sometimes it’s just someone shouting it as they drive by. Most of the time I’m not live on-air, it’s any time you have a microphone in your hands.
This was the moment. (It was time) to take a stand.
We had been talking about doing a story on this.
This has become a normal part of our day. From my experience, it’s only men who say this to me.
These guys in the video became the example, but it’s a much bigger issue.
I didn’t do this to vilify them. They are sadly the poster boys. They have to deal with the way they treated me and the consequences.
According to the Toronto Star, those consequences are now coming to light:
Hydro One is firing an employee involved in Sunday’s incident, while Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is taking steps to have the fans involved banned for “at least” a year.
A Hydro One spokesperson identified the employee as Shawn Simoes, an assistant network management engineer who made $106,510 last year. He appears on-camera laughing and taunting, alongside several other men.
See the Toronto fans confronted by a reporter after their friend’s vulgar remark in the full video below: