FHRITP interruption during #SafeRedMile interview shows prevalence of vulgar trend
Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: April 24, 2015 9:44 PM | Last Updated: April 26, 2015
WARNING: Story contains explicit language
FHRITP — or f--k her right in the p---y — is a phrase men scream at (for the most part) female reporters. It's rude, it's degrading and it's harassment.
It's happened before. It'll probably happen again. But today was different.
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Since the Flames made the playoffs, I've heard numerous stories from reporter friends of harassment along the Red Mile. So-called fans screaming obscenities at reporters. So-called fans trying to get women to show their breasts. So-called fans behaving badly in the name of the Flames.
Today, I'm doing a story on the #SafeRedMile movement. People doing things in an effort to discourage harassment (often sexual) along 17th Avenue during and after games.
Trevor Prosser designed four posters that were widely shared on Twitter last night. Each shows the Stanley Cup with a clever slogan like "Would you say that to Ferland's mom?" and "WWPMD: What would Peter Maher do?" Maher was the longtime voice of the Calgary Flames.
At the bottom of the cup: #SafeRedMile and "Go Flames Go."
But while Prosser was in the middle of talking about respect along the Red Mile, two not-so-classy gentlemen pulled up behind me, screamed FHRITP and drove away.
I froze.
But Prosser? He's fighting sexism and harassment along the Red Mile one jerk at a time so he yelled back.
"That's not cool," he screamed at the pickup as it sped away. "That's not my Flames. That's not my city."
And I believe he speaks for the majority.
Police say they are planning to lay charges of causing a disturbance, or possibly public mischief or intimidation, if they happen to hear the phrase during Saturday's Flames game.
FHRITP background
The worrying phenomenon can be traced back to January 2014 when American internet prankster John Cain uploaded several real-looking clips to YouTube. They featured live news reports, interrupted with the phrase.
In the first video, purportedly showing a Fox News reporter who didn't know he was live, the words come from the "journalist" himself.
But Mediaite.com debunked the hoax, pointing out that it's actually Cain's voice, spliced together with real television footage to make it appear legitimate.
In subsequent videos, the phrase is shouted into a microphone by a man (who appears to be a passerby) who surprises a female reporter during her live report.
Since then it has been popping up all over Canada and the U.S.