“If I had it my way, you’d all be dead”

“If I had it my way, you’d all be dead.” Those were the words said to a novice crew I was coxing by a man on the bank. For eight people sat in the boat for the first time and trying to work out what arms-bodies-legs means, this wasn’t the welcoming, supportive environment they had been promised. Even for me, it was terrifying.

Unfortunately, this is not a one-off incident but an everyday occurrence for many rowers and coxes. Leering, sexist comments, and objects thrown at boats are just some of the many incidents reported. 

In January 2020, a complaint was made to Cam Conservators, the statutory navigation authority for that stretch of the River Cam, about a boat user flashing a very bright light at rowers to blind their vision and cause crashes.  Likewise, in 2017, Oxford rowers suffered homophobic abuse, had eggs and tomatoes thrown at them, and endured deliberate attempts to capsize them from houseboat owners. University College team captain Ben Norbury told Cherwell, “Just as we passed the houseboats, our cox heard some splashes around our boat and then a bang as an egg hit our stern. Not really realising what was going on we kept rowing. On the next lap, rowing up to the top again, in the same place, we saw two guys with a dog on the river bank. This time, apparently having depleted their stock of eggs, they just threw homophobic insults at us.”

British Rowing’s Honorary Rowing Safety Advisor Report of May 2022 documented the case of two boys, aged 14 and 15, who dropped rocks from a footbridge, nearly missing a 4x; just the previous week, they had poured water on a single. Needless to say, if the rocks had hit any rowers, the outcome could have been devastating. Similarly, in June 2016 on the River Cam, Robin Middleton, known as “Battleship Bob”, challenged rowers to a “cage fight” before jumping into the river and grabbing their boat; he was found guilty of a public order offence. 

When discussing boat registration with Cam Conservators, I was told that any incident should be reported and action would be taken. While of course it is good that action is being taken against the individuals perpetrating such harassment, it is alarming how normalised it has become. 

Enduring harassment is particularly common for female rowers. It is almost routine for people on the bank to jeer at female rowers, tell them to push harder, or just stare in a way which makes them feel uncomfortable. Since when did this become ok?

Many altercations are between rowers and houseboat owners. From rowers crashing into houseboats to loud noise early in the morning, relations between the two groups can be fraught. The Cam Rowing Incident and Evidence Reporting Facebook group is filled with posts expressing anger at rowers. Over lockdown in 2020, one Facebook user wrote: “they harass [us] – with their noise at all hours, arrogance, entitlement, white male privilege and racism.”

There are, of course, cases of rowers being inconsiderate or offensive to other users of the river. However, when you have people taking photos of rowers, including children, and posting on Facebook groups where they can be riled up by others online about how horrific rowers are, rather than discussing the issue civilly, there is a problem. Verbal abuse and physical violence are never justified.

Everyone should feel safe in a boat, without having to worry about harassment from other river users or members of the public. While every emphasis can be placed on reporting incidents, a proactive approach needs to be taken to prevent harassment in the first place.

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Becca Sproston

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