A tube traveller shouted at a blind man for blocking the way on the escalator with his guide dog. Watch here:
In a video shared on Twitter, Dr Amit Patel - who has been registered as blind since 2013 - can be seen on an escalator in London with his guide dog, Kika.
Advert
Behind him, another traveller can be heard berating him for blocking the way.
The man said: "You're worse than a dog if you don't understand the human being.
"I just want to catch the train."
I mean, where do you even start with that comment? First of all, this bloke seemingly doesn't understand that Dr Patel is a human being, and he needs his guide dog to help him travel safely.
Advert
Secondly, being 'worse than a dog' definitely isn't an insult in my book.
A stressed Dr Patel replied to the man: "Yes but I can't move, she's a guide dog.
"I can't physically move, she's not going to move. There's no point arguing."
The video has been viewed more than 900,000 times and Dr Patel has received an outpouring of support.
Advert
Commenting on the video, one person said: "I'm sorry that you had to endure that again. People need to learn basic skills again.
"If one is late don’t blame it on other people. Disabled or not. He probably would have pushed someone else aside."
Another added: "Amit I'm sorry you and Kika had to deal with this.
"Good on the other passenger for filming it. I really hope they will also stand as a witness if you decide to report this individual to the police.
Advert
"Come on TfL [Transport for London] time for some awareness posters on the tube."
A third commented: "I'm so very sorry for you and darling Kika - she must have been aware of him behind her and his tone of voice. This should be circulated as a video on how not to behave on the underground."
In a subsequent tweet, Dr Patel thanked people for their kind messages.
He wrote: "Thanks for all the love & support you've shown @Kika_GuideDog & me.
Advert
"Kika's an absolute professional & has been specially trained by @guidedogs to travel on escalators safely.
"All we need is a little space & patience & we can all travel safely."
Mark Evers, TfL's chief customer officer, said: "We are very sorry that Dr Patel experienced this.
"Everyone has the right to travel around London safely without abuse and we encourage customers to be patient and mindful of other people’s needs.
"We have reached out to Dr Patel to ask for more information about this incident so we can ensure everything is being done to prevent this from happening again.”
Topics: UK News