Protesters leave knicker-bunting outside door of MP who blocked upskirting bill
ADVERTISEMENTPeople upset with an MP who blocked a legislation that would have made upskirting illegal in the UK have been expressing their anger by draping knickers in front of his offices.
A string of female underwear was draped across MP Christopher Chope’s office door in parliament on Monday, a picture posted on social media by Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, showed.
Along the picture, Lucas jokingly wrote that it was “good to see some redecorating.”
“Christopher Chope’s door looking much better,” she added.
The author of the act is unknown
Chope’s office in his Dorset constituency was similarly adorned on Saturday by constituent Lorna Rees, who posted a picture of her unusual garland on Facebook.
She wrote: “I’ve just left these outside the constituency office of my MP Christopher Chope. No one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to.”
Lorna Rees Facebook post embed:
'Scapegoat':
Chope blocked an attempt to outlaw upskirting in England and Wales on Friday, drawing the ire of many including members of his own party.
Upskirting is the act of secretly photographing underneath someone's skirt without permission, often with a mobile phone.
The bill was put forward after a campaign by Gina Martin, who was a victim of upskirting, and would make the act a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in jail.
In an interview with the Bournemouth Echo over the weekend, Chope said he was being scapegoated.
“The suggestion that I am some kind of pervert is a complete travesty of the truth. It’s defamatory of my character, and it’s very depressing some of my colleagues have been perpetuating that in the past 48 hours.”
Chope said he supported the bill but objected to the manner in which it was brought forward — private members’ bills do not require a debate during the second reading.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Monday that the government would introduce its own bill on the issue.