A Guest Tale – In The Club And Out The Door
Dec 11th, 2014 by 'holic
A treasured friend to many of us, Bergkamp the Man in the drinks, relates a tale that will strike a chord with many. I know from years of experience that the stewards face a range of issues on matchday, and having performed that role for the Travel Club many moons ago I am fully aware of what people expect to be able to do on their way to, and at games. Sometimes you do hear the odd story of them getting it spectacularly wrong, and this is one. Bear in mind this is written by the holder of two club level season tickets and is talking about those specific regular seats. Thank you BtM.
I choose to spend quite a wedge on two club level seats at Arsenal. One for me and another through which my son, daughter, grandchildren, wife and friends rotate. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed the experience. Galatasaray’s recent visit changed my view completely, dimmed my enthusiasm, and soured my passion.
I arrived to find a goodly proportion of our block occupied by away fans wearing colours, about 40% of seats I’d say. I pointed out to a steward that visiting fans shouldn’t be present. “I know, but Arsenal continues to sell tickets to away fans. It’s not my fault.” She said.
Up until 25 minutes after kick off, Galatasaray fans wandered in without a clue where their seats were. For all that time, our view was obscured while our steward attempted to achieve seating satisfaction. You probably all know how annoying it is when a bunch of numpties screws up your view, particularly when you’ve arrived early!
That view was obscured further by flares set off below by visiting fans. Smoke from these had me coughing and my eyes watering. Explosive fireworks were ignited, a really dangerous practice, bordering on gross negligence, in high population density areas. I saw only one visiting fan being removed from the ground, I assume, as a consequence.
Arsenal scored three great goals. In harmony with nearly every other Gooner in the stadium (but not in Club, where the clientele and atmosphere is more rarified) I celebrated, sang and applauded loudly and enthusiastically. I waived my scarf in the air each time, as I’ve done for the last 53 years.
With each Arsenal goal, the visiting fans’ mood deteriorated. Bottles and other missiles were thrown toward the pitch. I witnessed two bottles being thrown from within our block and advised our steward that the situation was getting serious with danger of escalation. She made no comment and took no immediate action.
Danny completed his hat trick. Fantastic! I was delighted. Our visitors were not. Abuse started to fly. A new steward arrived reflecting the increasing tension and need for more control. He agreed that the visitors shouldn’t be there advising “Unless they actually attack you, don’t say anything to them.” I was astounded. The clear insinuation was that this steward judged that there was a real danger of a physical attack but deemed it unnecessary to take remedial action.
Ten minutes into the second half near-riot conditions were reached in the visiting fans’ area. Flares and explosives were ignited, and missiles were thrown in from below. Elderly fans in front of me were hit, panicked and rushed for the exit. I was struck on the leg by a bottle of liquid, which bruised my leg. More stewards and ‘heavies’ in orange arrived. Several visitors were removed.
The mood of the remaining visitors was no longer good. One particularly aggressive and bullish Istanbuller turned to shout at me “This is Galatasaray fans’ area. You should not be here with your Arsenal scarf.” My son leant over me to correct this fan’s misunderstanding of the situation pointing out that the visitors’ area was below us and this was Arsenal Club.
What happened next was amazing. Another steward arrived requesting we accompany him, which we did respectfully. This strident man advised that we were being removed. Based on the earlier advice regarding the danger of a physical attack, I assumed at first that this was a safety measure and offered to be seated in any other Club Level area absent of away fans.
But no! We were being evicted, not only from Club but also from the stadium. My son had apparently leant across to speak to the acrimonious Turk in a manner judged unacceptable. He hadn’t left his seat at the time of the alleged incident and was therefore the full width of the aisle from the argumentative, threatening and foam-spitting visitor who was allowed to remain and smirk.
I asked to record the conversation. This right was denied and one of the seven orange-clad heavies who’d arrived hit my hand holding my phone. We asked to visit Club concierge for a more balanced, less emotion-driven perspective. This was refused. No reference whatsoever was made to anything that I had done.
We disagreed with the judgment and took exception to being removed. A ‘heavy’ grasped my upper arm despite my clear and calm instruction to him, thrice, not to do so. Although we were slowly moving to the exit, and I was making no effort to resist progress, he insisted on holding my arm tightly, bruising this old-age pensioner’s frailty as a consequence. ‘Assault by your hosts ’ – the new Arsenal Club experience.
We were dumped out of the ground.
The best definition of a brand that I know is that it is a “promise of an experience”. On that night, the Arsenal Club brand came nowhere close to the promise used to describe it in Arsenal’s glossy marketing communications.
In all my years watching and participating in sports events on all continents, this was singularly the most unpleasant. The enforced eviction was a unique lifetime experience, which I found humiliating and embarrassing, and which made me unhappy and angry.
I shared the above with many; “disgusting” is the adjective used most commonly to describe their reaction. The adjective addresses my own reflections quite well (and I’m now over all of the good-natured ‘football hooligan’ leg pulls that rained down on me – thanks, guys J).
I wrote and complained. A very nice lady called me to reassure that “Arsenal doesn’t sell tickets to away fans, only to travel agents in Sweden” and that “Arsenal complies fully with Metropolitan Police guidelines on screening for fireworks and weapons.” She mentioned that a visiting fan had complained that I was shouting and waving my scarf and the steward, believing our box to be a ‘mixed’ fan area had acted to maintain control. Well, well. How very dare I? Who knew? No apology though and the call left me feeling even more deflated (not her fault, I sensed she was working from a script endorsed by Arsenal Law.)
Steve T has poured into my ear for months now “We’re no longer fans, we’re numbers and a price tag on a seat.” He’s correct, but that’s OK in my book – as long as value for money is provided for the tag and that promises made on the experience actually materialize. On this occasion the opposite was true. No one promised me assault and expulsion for being ebullient.
Am I happy? Will I renew my tickets? What do you think? I know one thing for sure, if I don’t there are many waiting in the wings to take them and so Arsenal are happy. I suspect they’ll be even happier if it isn’t a noisy old booger who sings and shouts and waves his scarf and should know much better at his age. A nice quiet chappy with an even quieter partner who doesn’t need stewarding, and sits quietly eating prawn sandwiches, and sipping green tea from china cups, would do very nicely thank you very much.
50 Responses to “A Guest Tale – In The Club And Out The Door”
Scandalous- that a faithful fan should be discriminated against in our own stadium is awful. And Gala fans trashed the away end that night and were allowed to do it
Very sad to hear that Tale, BtM. We all love the Arsenal and can understand that times have changed but that is disgraceful and bordering on classless. I saddens me to read such.
I hope you are well otherwise.
Rather than fans going out of their ways to shout abuse and make banners about the Manager, maybe more constructive activities could be undertaken and these instances made more apparent to those with more influence within the club.
Bloody hell, that’s absolutely disgraceful.
Really shocking treatment, Bergkamp. I had a poor experience in Club recently. We hold 3 seats, shared between family members, and luckily most people around us are season ticket holders, and after a couple of seasons, camaraderie is building. However the 3 seats in front of us are not. Usually they are held by people with little interest in the match – arrive late, leave early and on their mobile phones.
At the Man United match they had been sold to three male Manure supporters. One of them stood up and celebrated their first goal. I put my hand on his shoulder and informed him that wasn’t on. He spat back at me, in his Surrey accent that “he had paid for the tickets and would do whatever he wanted”.
After the second goal, he celebrated again. A male Arsenal fan sitting a few seats away had a word and it ended up with both standing having a verbal fight. At no stage did a steward intervene, despite threats of physical violence. I complained to the steward as I left the seats after and he said I needed to email to complain as ‘No One listened to them”.
I do have a solution though – move your seats to the ones in front of us!
Disgusting but not surprising given my own personal experiences with our stewards,I wouldn’t stop going though even if you have to wear an Inspector Clouseau disguise,just make sure your hooter doesn’t fall off.
… or an Inspector Gadget disguise with an extending fist to quieten would-be aggressors…
Öskar
I’m lost for words. What an utter disgrace.
What an absolute outrage BtM.
What is really going on over there?
If Arsenal is as well-managed, professional, commercially astute and as proactive a club as we like to think ourselves to be, if I being a Club level member of many years were subjected to this experience I would expect (a) a letter/email from Ivan Gazidis apologizing personally and (b) reimbursement of the equivalent of the total cost incurred on that day for myself and my son.
Consumerism is a two-way street, if the Arsenal club treats the most loyal consumers of Arsenal brand this way, that loyalty would erode in no time.
Really sad, and bordering on farce.
astounded. I am sorry, btm. you should never have been subjected to that. arsenal’s stadium employees and policy are clearly in the wrong. what a waste of a lifetime of goodwill.
Agree with Dr Fautus.
Scandalous.
But are we surprised?
Sadly no.
I’ll take your Club level tickets next season BtM – you’ll still pay for them though, right? 😉
Disgusting Btm. Maybe with a few expletives deleted thrown in for good measure. Feel really, really angry that you were treated in such a way.
Football sold its soul to the great Satan of corporate greed many moons ago, certainly long before we left Highbury. I’d always liked to think we as a club, were a touch above the real classless behaviour of other clubs, in their attitude towards their own supporters, sorry walking pound signs (copyright Steve T). But we’re not. I’ve heard other such tales which only serve to confirm that.
The cunts know they’ve got us for life. But I’ll say this, they’ve got a less of me than they used to, and they’ll come a time when they have nothing, the way things are going. And then there will be no queue to replace loyal supporters like Btm and myself. And the corporate gravy train, will also have rolled on elsewhere.
Holic – Saturday? Could be anytime mate. Linking up with the Big Hibee early windows for lunch (mostly liquid). I’ll text you. Gonna be massive!
BtM
That’s completely out of any order but what exactly was order in your situation? I do recall another Champions League game where opposition fans were pretty much everywhere. I was in the upper section of the stadium towards the away fans. No one said or did anything they were allowed to be even though they were in the wrong section full stop. This I suppose was perhaps slightly different as there was no flares nor fireworks being deployed.
Still if it’s an Arsenal section it means it’s for Arsenal fans only.
Great read but treatment from the club stewards on this occasion is sick for my liking!
The regular conclusion I draw from stories like this is that the great Arsenal moneymaking machine whose job is to stuff money into Stan Kroenke ‘s already bulging pockets care much less about committed lifers like Btm, Holic, Esso, NBN and myself and many on here and much more about the corporate day tripper who on a visit to the ground will probably depend a fortune in the shop and won’t create issues with the stewards because their support us lukewarm.
The Fraternity of Arsenal supporters of which this is a very loyal and lively bunch feel deeply undervalued and it is part of the same issue that Zi highlighted last night. They will be praying for a chance to play in the FA Cup at home in the fourth round so they can charge premium prices of an obscene dimension to fans who already pay the highest charges in the world .
Dr. F is right about the obligation of Gazidis to sort this fully and not ostracise people who are the lifeblood of Arsenal. I’m regularly reviewing the time when I withdraw my active support through attending matches and incidents like this sadly make that very significant moment in my life much more imminent. From previous discussions on here I know Holic and others are very similarly minded. That is an indication of something very wrong in the philosophy of the club .
Sorry as ever the TTG predictive text strikes! I meant spend rather than depend in the shop.
This article was linked to our website (yes, yet another AFC blog) and has elicited some shock but no real surprise.
To us Highbury fans (another euphemism for Old) the change in the club since the arrival of the Oligarchs has been a depressing experience.
As BtM says, there are many others to take his season ticket but IMO this will not continue. We have fans who go to every game blogging on our site who are also considering watching from afar (though this is much to do with the negativity of the fans at the games).
The blogs have been saying for many years that the club would rather have less season-ticket holders and more one-off tourist fans as they spend more in the shops. The attitude of the stewards and the response by the club to BtM’s complaint seems to confirm this.
So what do we Gooners do?
I have over 50 years of Goonerdom behind me. I cannot give it up, it is an essential part of me.
Cheers Esso. See you both tomorrow.
Arthur, would those seats be in East Upper? UEFA oblige Arsenal to supply them with sponsors tickets that tend to end up in the wrong hands.
Absolutely disgraceful attitude of the stewards, however it mirrors the whole attitude of ‘The Club’ to real supporters. It was easier to eject you & a child than a mob of marauding Turks – The Police adopted this attitude throughout the whole day, allowing the visitors to do as they pleased – for an easy life. However if a home supporter rejected he could expect to spend the night in Tolpuddle St in a cell.
Arsenal stadium management do exactly what the Police tell them to, this situation is all too cosy! Take the example of the supporter Mick Doherty, who a certain police officer asked to club to ban from the stadium, after she failed in a court of law to convince a judge the merits of this course of action – as any offence committed was non-football related. The club shamefully bowed down to this request, leading to ‘The Justice for The Archway One’ campaign.
The club has lost it’s soul – they treat us as customers NOT supporters!
Depressing tale BtM. As Mr Reidy says above the only reason the stewards decided it was your turn was because it was easy, you being an apparently law abiding, ‘mature’ gentleman who would not given them any trouble.
However I don’t think at any time in my Arsenal supporting life which stretches back just short of yours BtM I have ever doubted that the main interest of the owners of Arsenal football club, whichever nationality they may be, has been to get their hand into my pocket. And for asa long as I can remember I have resisted.
Disgraceful, but more disappointingly, not an isolated incident.
Stewarding at the Emirates is shocking to say the least, they seemingly pick on those that they deem not a threat to them and leave others showing far more aggression to carry on on the merry way.
I have a season ticket in block 06 and I have to say the way home fans are treated there is despicable.
I’m in a singing section and have been told to keep my voice down!! Is it any wonder they say we’re a library.
I have never once been involved in any kind of violence or dispute in my near 32 years of watching my team at home, away and abroad.
Yet I get treated by our own stewards like some kind of foul mouthed yob seeking a fight wherever I go, while visiting supporters are left to continue with their hateful bile, missile throwing and general ridiculously anti-social behaviour, because it is deemed club policy as “best not antagonise them”.
Unfortunately it’s a sign of modern money making times that we are all no more than a mere name on a bank account paying for tickets, and the clubs view is “if you don’t like it..then there are plenty more waiting in line where you come from”
Arsenal FC – once a great family club, now simply a money led corporation. I can tell you one thing, you will lose the traditional fan in one way or another very soon, be it by pricing them out of it, or driving them out for daring to have a voice.
Be careful what you wish for, because that soulless lifeless bowl that many thought the Emirates may become, could be a lot closer to happening than you all realise.
Absolutely disgraceful and utterly classless and to think we boast ourselves by saying best match day experience and all that crap.
The Emirates has become a corporate stadium. It does not care for the emotions of fans, it is just the highest dollar/pound payer that matters. I saw a picture of the carlsberg lounge at the emirates. So posh, so rich, so much crap shit. football is for the fans watching in hordes together, not sitting in a corporate box sipping champagne.
Really sorry for what happened sir. Hope you are in good health and the swelling has reduced. I do wish you renew the season ticket though for we need fans like you in the stadium than noobs who have no clue about the club.
P.S- that manc, why dint you just push him down from the stands and say opps, one less is better for the planet.
Cheers for taking the time to write that up BtM. I hope you are well and the experience is less raw even if nothing will make it right.
I ended up having a chat with someone last night about the slim chances of my ever getting any children I ever have into football. I’m stuck with football but it is such a negative, money-driven enterprise that I don’t really want to inflict the emotional investment I have on my kids. Stories like this one are the reason why. How would you rationalise to a child what happened?
Agreed with DF @ 9.
On a separate note, Ramsey starts to find a bit of form and now out for a month. At this rate, apropos some recent drinks, it looks like some of the old boys on here may need to get the Dubbin out after all. Unbe******liveable.
UTA.
With all the injuries this season is more and more turning into just being about scraping into fourth and hoping for a better season next time around.
Would it be worth registering a complaint personally with Ivan Gazidis? He might not be bothered but he’s not just a faceless gimp who can, or should, be able to brush you off and I doubt he’d want to. Seems a decent enough type, even if he’d only care from a PR point of view.
Outrageous tale though, I hope you get some sort of satisfactory outcome if you continue with the matter.
Someone else has suggested exactly that Cynic. Apparently he does respond to complaints.
Holic
Yes East Stand Upper indeed.
BtM – I am so saddened by your story.
I can vouch for others who report that our stewards pick on those who won’t make trouble and leave the genuinely troublesome away offenders alone. In my previous ST seat (in the corner of the Clock End/West stand upper) I’ve seen two youngish lads (late teens) ejected for simply wearing Dortmund shirts – despite the fact they were absolutely no trouble whatsoever, and the mother of a smallish child rather aggressively told he had to take his (Bayern I think it was) scarf off or leave. Yet on another occasion a particularly large, foulmouthed and drunk ManUre supporter in Club was left to carry on standing up shouting and generally antagonising Arsenal supporters, despite repeated requests to the Stewards to get rid of the twat.
I requested a move from my previous ST in the upper tier in part because of the endless streams of corporate ‘tourists’ each game with their bloody Carlsberg VIP lanyards, always turning up late, leaving early and generally disrupting us all while the game was on.
Still, now I’m in block 7 and surrounded by like minds, they have about as much chance of making us sit down and shut up as they have of building a bridge to the moon by next Tuesday. Other blocks should try it, because I’m telling you, there’s no way they will ever be able to deal with all of us at once 😉
And BtM, when I next seen Mr G on the platform at Euston I shall most certainly let him know what I think…!
Disgrace. Over to you, Arsenal. 🙁
Now Rambo is out! 🙁 🙁 Hopefully TR7 is back fit so that we have some rotational abilities in the MF. We will probably have to play Ox centrally. Arteta was supposed to be back by now.
Looking at the training pictures I think either Hayden or Ajayi is going to get their PL debut tomorrow…
Woeful behaviour by Club & Stewards. People say complain to Gatzidis, Gonnella, Beattie, Friar & Co = Total Waste of time, as one of many fans that has written to numerous Arsenal figures regarding the disgracefull treatment given to ‘The Archway One’ re his totally unwarranted club ban, I am sure they’ll ignore such complaints & just bury their heads in the sand. What has happened to our once Great Club?
Disgraceful, BtM, sorry to hear it.
The bruises will heal well enough but the damage to your passion for the club is another matter.
It’s odd to think that there is now a text service to complain to stewards if you are offended by swearing, smoking, standing or homophobic behaviour and chanting.
Clearly there is no code to register your discomfort at having flares, exploding fireworks and bottles thrown at and around your seat.
And waving your scarf …. ? Completely unacceptable !
Especially to those poor sensitive Turkish fans who threw flares into the Tollie garden, and set them off, with more exploding fireworks, under the bridges in Hornsey Road.
And I know that for a fact because I was trying to get past them at the time.
And we call back Coquelin from loan, things are getting (even more) desperate now:
http://news.arseblog.com/2014/12/injury-crisis-sees-coq-pulled-out-of-charlton/
As you know BtM, I think you were disgracefully treated. Arsenal FC owe you a duty of care, commensurate with the service promised in your contract with them.
I recall the glossy booklet with enticing promises of delightful fan experiences that came through my letterbox when they launched “Club Level” though I have to observe that at the cost involved they would have had to offer me considerably more to separate me from that wedge.
However it is clear that Arsenal FC not only failed in their duty of care by not ensuring you could safely fully enjoy that fan experience (Ejection for waving your scarf and cheering really takes the biscuit), their manhandling of you and your son and subjection of you to such the humiliating and distressing experience of ejection from the ground dictates that they compensate you both in some manner.
I do think Mr Gazidis should pay attention to how this has tarnished his brand for all right-thinking supporters.
NO XMAS PURCHASES OF OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE FROM ARSENAL FC FROM THIS SUPPORTER OR HIS EXTENDED FAMILY UNTIL BtM IS COMPENSATED.
What a sad and disgraceful tale you have to tell BTM! However, it comes as no surprise and sounds very reminiscent of my experience in Copenhagen when we were treated disgracefully by the Danish police in complete contrast to the festival atmosphere experienced by all when we played Parma in the very same city. I even queried the police as to why they were treating us so abysmally to be told by them that they were (reluctantly) following orders because they could not afford to be upsetting the Galata fans as so many of them were immigrant Turks/Kurds living in the city. My impression was that also many of them had travelled from Germany.
It’s not for me to be an apologist for the Turks even though they do seem to behave remarkably well in the neck of the woods in which I reside but I suspect that those throwing flares into The Tollie may have been ones with local knowledge rather than from Istanbul. I wonder how many inside the stadium actually reside in Turkey.
No matter; why does this club and its thuggish following not get thrown out of European competition for their persistent anti-social and loutish behaviour which was also experienced in Dortmund? I’m pretty sure if the shoe was on the other foot it would be a different story.
I decided not to bother to go to the match in Istanbul knowing the reputation that Galatasaray has – I’m sure Besiktas and Fenerbahce may have their own problems but I’ve personally found the fans of those two clubs to be pleasant and amenable, at least over here in Turkey. I offered to get tickets for my friend in Istanbul but she wasn’t able to attend because the away section required negotiating 107 steps with neither a lift nor escalator available; she is disabled so reluctantly had to decline my offer. Why is this club being allowed to partake in European competition when they can’t even offer disabled access to fans?
The injustice of the treatment suffered by BTM by Arsenal representatives at the home stadium just makes my blood boil! It seems as though many of us are becoming more than a little disillusioned while finding it such a wrench to just walk away.
Howdy ‘hol
Howdy all
ally mc coint ?
Gonna back drink
Have a load
See yer on the other side
a fuckin bollocks
dreadful
just dreadful
read it two times
shouldn’t make a difference
who it happened to
but holy fuck
fuck
BtM
Just fuckin awful
It’s a regular occurence. Our stewards are now run by a woman with now experience of this. I received a three match ban for loaning my ST to a mate and threatened with a complete ban and loss ot ST I’ve had since ’87.
Whether u agree or not but the thanks for the memories banner was confiscated by Arsenal stewards in Istanbul on tues. But the in wenger we trust was allowed.
on another note the stewards are not allowed to handle a fan…it is assault
Heeeeeeeeere’s Silly!
Resurrected, back on the street and bold as foockin’ brass!
Beware all you geeks, nerds…and hippies.
Geordies preview >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Write to Gazidis ? don’t bother wasting your time. I tried the new ticket exchange system to help a friend visiting from Australia .Everything was organised by internet and confirmed by phone to the box office. When he went to collect the ticket they said they had no knowledge of it , an hour before the match he texted me to find out what was happening and I tried to contact the club but they told me the box office does not take calls so close to kick off. I followed it up the next day and for 5 times afterwards and eventually sent an E-mail to Gazidis and a copy of the message by post . From him I heard nothing . But I did get a message from the box office from a woman who basically told me that I was a liar and that my Aussie friend had bought a ticket on the night . I asked how that was possible as the game was a sell out and the line went dead and I heard nothing more.
What is amazing is reading the responses and most are of surprise, wake up and smell the coffee they have been like this in different areas of the ground for ages now, it is nothing new. Away games are where it is at now, no stalin measures
I note all of the comments above, but I am not surprised by apathy amongst life long gooners. The club is not run by football people but by corporate lick arses. I can relate to the comments of Mr Reidy & Mr Brooks in regard to the Justice for The Archway One situation as it shows where the club lies in regard to real supporters – they don’t give a hoot about them. It’s all about keeping the police sweet & lining the pockets of shareholders. We need a focus to get behind & reclaim OUR club. We should back The Justice for The archway One campaign as it addresses all that is wrong with OUR club. It is like going back to the school playground (entering the Emirates Stadium) looking over your shoulder for the prefects or teachers ready to punish you with detention. This man who was treated so badly at the Galatasary match should not keep quiet but enlighten all what is going on at OUR club – The revolution is acoming……..
Very sad story.
I also stopped going to the emirates due to a similar circumstance.
This time I was trying to get a bit of a chant and momentum going in one of the quiet areas when the guy behind me asked me to sit down and keep quiet. I reacted a bit hastily and told him in so many words to get stuffed to which the steward intervened and threatened to throw me out.
Last time I went – I have since discovered the atmosphere is better if you find a good Arsenal pub.
In follow up to some comments here, I have personally found Arsenal to be the club with the best customer service. Having tried contacting every premier league club a few seasons ago on several occasions regarding some research for an article, I found both Arsenal and Man U to be very good, the rest were just ignorant, rude or purposely misleading.
Yikes!! What an appalling story. Was going to bring my son from Dublin to the Emirates as a birthday treat, but will definitely pass now.
After all, I don’t want to upset the Arsenal stewards by trying to smuggle an Arsenal fan into the stadium.
The people running Arsenal’s Stadium are megalomaniacs. They forget who pays their wages. It’s the very same supporters who they issue unwarranted Stadium bans to, who they harass while they watch matches, who without their ticket money they would be jobless – Because no other employer in their right minds would treat their customers with such disrespect. Full support for the #J4TA1 campaign at least The Archway One is standing up to these bullies.