Rhianna Benson
Horrified people on board a bus travelling through Greater Manchester, UK earlier this month were forced to call out fellow passenger for secretly filming a woman breastfeeding her baby.
In alarming footage recorded by a witness, the foul-mouthed man in question could be seen going on to racially attack the heartbroken mother, who herself hailed from Nigeria.
The incident took place on Saturday 3 May, after Hamidat Soliu's four-month-old daughter began crying during the bus journey from her home to that of her friend, who lived nearby.
Knowing her baby girl was due to eat soon, the 27-year-old healthcare assistant began discreetly breastfeeding the tot.
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After several minutes, however, another passenger on board the bus began shouting, claiming that a man sitting close to Hamidat had been filming her with his mobile phone, and zooming in specifically on her chest.
The blindsided mother then began questioning the unnamed man over his behaviour, taking out her own phone to record the interaction.
Recalling the incident, Hamidat later told press: "A voice reached out to me at the back [of the bus] and told me that the man was filming me breastfeeding and that he was zooming in on my boobs.
"I asked the man if he was recording me and to delete the video but he wasn't answering - that's when I picked up my phone and I started recording."
In blurred footage, a number of other passengers can then be seen approaching the adult male - who was seen wearing a hi-vis vest - and demanding he delete the videos of Hamidat's breasts.
The man can then he heard responding, 'F**k off you're not touching my phone, who do you think you are? You're not the police."
After witness asks him for proof that the clips of Hamidat have been deleted from his device, the man then continued to rant.
"F**k off, who do you think you are?" he demands again. "I'm English [...inaudible] and I live here."
The driver of the bus was subsequently called to intervene, after which the vulgar man was removed from the vehicle.
Discussing her attacker, Hamidat later explained: "When he was asked why he thought it was OK to film a breastfeeding mum, he said he has rights because he is English.
"How can you say you have rights to film a breastfeeding mum just because you're English?"
The devastated mum added that, despite having since reported the heinous incident to local police, she'd been left feeling shaken.
"It's been horrible," Hamidat admitted. "It made me feel as if I was doing something wrong by breastfeeding my baby when she was crying.
"It's made me question myself as a mum and it shouldn't be that way."
She continued: "All I wanted to do was feed my crying baby and not to have my rights violated - or be told by someone that he has the right to violate them because he's white."
A handful of clips of the incident were later shared on TikTok, going viral and racking up over 5.7 million views.
Commenting on one of the videos, one viewer hit out: "Anyone who says this lady shouldn't breastfeed in public should never eat in public again. No restaurants, not even a sandwich walking down the road. How dare you eat in public when babies 'shouldnt.'"
Another agreed, going on to say: "To the men who stood up for this mum…there's hope for mankind after all."
"You should be so proud of yourself for standing up for yourself," a third gushed of Hamifat. "I can't imagine how that 'man' made you feel."
A statement on the matter has since been issued by a representative from Greater Manchester Police.
"We are aware of footage that is circulating online in relation to an incident which occurred on a bus travelling from the city centre to Ashton," it read. "Officers from our Transport Unit have been in contact with the victim, and we are investigating all lines of enquiry.
"No arrests have been made at this stage and it is believed to be an isolated incident.
"Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 quoting log 2491 03/05/25, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."