Netflix Ripper Viewers Disgusted By 'Sexist And Misogynistic' Police In New Series

With many of us forced to isolate over the Christmas period, we've found ourselves turning to Netflix to keep us entertained during the cold winter's nights.

The streaming service has stacks of series that we've become hooked on, with one of its must-see documentaries being its recent release, The Ripper.

The four-part series observes the 13 murders and multiple attacks against women that took place in West Yorkshire and Manchester in the late 1970s. It also looks at the police's repeated failures to apprehend the perpetrator, given the moniker The Yorkshire Ripper by the press, before they caught Peter Sutcliffe.

Netflix)

While Sutcliffe's crimes are well-documented, viewers of The Ripper were left horrified by the blatantly sexist and misogynistic response of the West Yorkshire Police during the investigation.

Many flocked to Twitter to voice their shock at the response from the police in the 70's.

"Just watching the new series #TheRipper on Netflix and the absolutely deplorable way the police spoke about the victims is making me want to punch something..." said one viewer.

Netflix)

"West Yorkshire police can knock it on the head talking about the victims the way they did," a second said. "Whether they were sex workers or not....it's not an excuse for someone to kill them, they were desperate and trying to feed their families."

A third pointed out they believed some of this sexism is still evident in society today: "We haven't evolved one tiny bit since the 70s/80s. Our society is still deeply misogynistic," they said. "Sex work is a 'lifestyle' FFS. Police still don't care until an 'innocent' victim from a 'decent' family is killed. We have to do better. Ripper and police were/are misogynistic."

Others said the sexism was so rife they were struggling to watch the series at all.

"Anyone else struggling to watch the @netflix series #TheRipper... Not actually because of the murders but because of the way these women were hated on by the public and even the police," one viewer said. "It's hideous! How they speak of the nonprostitute's as 'innocents.'"

"Listening to the way the press and police are talking about these women is making my blood boil. They were all innocent women! Doesn't matter what they did for a living."

"Makes me furious when they say 'she was just a prostitute, a good time girl.' Another said. "Scared young woman (only 28) with four small children who was divorced (because her husband had been abusive) living in poverty trying to survive is what she was. And she was murdered."

"Watching #TheRipper on @Netflix and the blatant disrespect for the victims from some of the interviewees is despicable. Forty years on and the investigators are just as misogynistic and crass," a third said.

The series did receive praise for its final scenes, which mentioned all the names of the victims at the end of the series - shining a light on the women which were maligned and unfairly mistreated by those that were meant to protect them.

The Ripper is available to stream on Netflix.

Topics: Drama, True Crime, TV News, TV Entertainment, Netflix

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley