Go&Glow, a women's social and wellness community in Edinburgh, has reported an incident of street harassment to Police Scotland after a man verbally abused members during their second weeknight run at The Meadows. The club felt "dehumanised and unsafe" following the encounter on Wednesday night, when a man told some of the 15 women to "f*** off" during their jog.
Harassment During Weeknight Run
Alexa Manganiello, 24, from Leith, founder and director of Go&Glow, said the man seemed to be "targeting" two women, including herself, who were running at the back of the group. The man swore at the group three times in total as he lapped them around The Meadows, a pattern of behaviour that left the group feeling "intimidated and unsafe".
Manganiello said: "We felt lost, deflated, and dehumanised. When you're sworn at, it leaves you feeling pretty small." She added: "It was literally our second time running in the dark on a Wednesday night, and we already were subjected to abuse and street harassment. It is absolutely insane. It was hard to process what was happening in the moment."
Reporting to Police Scotland
Manganiello decided to report the incident to Police Scotland to create a record in case anything else happened in the area in the future. However, she felt dismissed by police when she called, saying she felt like she "needed to prove why she had to be taken seriously". She also mentioned being told to "keep safe" by the officer, which she felt placed responsibility on her and the run club for men's behaviour.
She said: "We're going to report everything moving forward, every incident, big or small, because it's important that they can put together a pattern because I'm sure we're not the only ones."
Broader Issue of Women's Safety
Manganiello described the verbal onslaught as part of a larger issue around women's safety, particularly in public spaces since the clocks went back. She said she is speaking out because women have a "right to feel safe in public spaces". Despite the harassment, she affirmed that it would not stop or ruin Go&Glow's run club.
She added: "We should still show up in a way that feels comfortable to us and not allow men's behaviour to ruin that for us and keep us indoors. Retreating indoors is not the answer. It's making the streets safer for everyone."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We can confirm we received a report and advice and assistance were provided."
