WATCH ABOVE: A TV reporter in Toronto is being hailed for her courage in standing up to some vulgar insults. City TV reporter Shauna Hunt received the verbal assaults so often, she decided to confront the men. As Jennifer Tryon reports, some are now paying a serious price.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Discretion is advised.
A Hydro One employee has been fired after “F–k her right in the p—y” (FHRITP) was yelled at a television reporter outside of the Toronto FC home opener over the weekend.
Hydro One said in a statement Tuesday that the organization was taking steps “to terminate the employee for violating our Code of Conduct.”
“Respect for all people is engrained in the code and our values. We are committed to a work environment where discrimination or harassment of any type is met with zero tolerance,” Daffyd Roderick, a spokesperson for Hydro One said in a statement.
READ MORE: Employees can be fired for ‘much less’ than defending FHRITP
The employee has been identified as Shawn Simoes, a Hydro One employee who made the Sunshine List in 2014 with a salary of just over $106,000.
He can be seen in the latter half of a YouTube video from the incident telling Shauna Hunt, the female reporter, he doesn’t care what she says, he thinks FHRITP is “f—king hilarious.”
“It is f—king hilarious. We’re not the only people, it happened in England,” he tells the reporter. “You’re lucky there’s not a f—-king vibrator in your ear, like in England.”
He also says his mom would “die laughing – eventually.”
And Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) said Tuesday it will ban anyone heard yelling the obscene phrase anywhere near their facilities in Toronto after the phrase was yelled at a television reporter several times during Toronto FC’s home opener.
MLSE, which owns the Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, confirmed on Twitter Tuesday that they would be providing extra security for female reporters doing live hits outside of their stadiums and are working to identify the individuals in order to ban them from all their facilities.
“We’re appalled that this trend of disrespectful behaviour would make its way to our city, let alone anywhere near our stadium,” the statement from MLSE reads.
People took to Twitter Tuesday, including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, to speak out against workplace sexual harassment.
The phrase can be traced back to a realistic but ultimately fake YouTube video uploaded by American “filmmaker” John Cain. The video appears to show several reporters being interrupted by people yelling the FHRITP phrase but was thoroughly debunked by Mediaite.com, which proved it was Cain’s voice dubbed over real television footage.
But despite the chant being outed as a hoax the videos have gone viral, and inspired unimaginative people – mostly men – to try and copy Cain.
Jameis Winston, the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, was suspended for half a game in 2014 after he allegedly stood on a table in the school and yelled the phrase.
A notable recent case saw Global News reporter Stefan Keyes interrupted during a live hit outside the Ship and Anchor Pub on 17 Ave. S.W., prompting the Calgary police to call him, letting him know they had opened up an investigation.
“It’s vulgar, it’s disrespectful, particularly to women…there are children watching,” he said.
“It’s a little selfish to get off on a prank like that when there are thousands of viewers that are trying to enjoy their news, and you’re taking away from that.”
WATCH: (Wed, Apr 22) Reporter interupted by obscene prank on the Red Mile
And police in Toronto agree; they will open an investigation if a formal complaint is brought forward.
Shauna Hunt, a Toronto news reporter for City TV, confronted some of the men who either did, or were planning to, yell the phrase in her direction prior to this weekend’s Toronto FC home opener at BMO Field.
“Hold on, were you guys waiting to see if you could ‘F Her in the P’ me on live TV?” she asked a man wearing a Toronto FC shirt.
“Not you, but yes.”
“You were? Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask why you would want to do something like that?”
“Because I feel like it’s quite substantial.”
But the potentially illegal nature of the bit, and the fact that many women feel it’s a form of sexual assault, hasn’t changed Cain’s mind that it’s funny. In an interview with CBC News after the phrase was yelled in Montreal, Cain said it’s “not an attack on women in any way.”
And in an email to Global News shortly after the incident in Calgary he said it’s still “pretty funny.”
“I honestly believe that everyone who talks about FHRITP right now is only doing it for ratings because it works. My shirts (sic) sales go way up every time it’s on the news,” he wrote in an email.
Follow @jamesarmstrong7
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