For over a month, groups of young men have been treating Soho’s historic walk-ups like film sets for a twisted new genre of social media entertainment. These aren't harmless pranks; they are orchestrated raids designed to monetize the fear of women.
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Violent Tactics: These groups have progressed from shouting in hallways to kicking down doors, destroying security cameras, and, in one terrifying instance, brandishing a knife.
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Digital Doxxing: By filming the faces of sex workers—many of whom are mothers—these men are weaponizing social stigma. For these women, being "exposed" on TikTok doesn't just mean a loss of privacy; it risks the intervention of social services and the potential loss of their children.
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Monetized Harassment: While platforms are quick to ban sex workers for minor policy infractions, they have been agonizingly slow to remove footage of men actively committing break-ins and assaults for "likes."
Legally Sanctioned Vulnerability
The tragedy of this situation is compounded by archaic legislation. Under current UK law, sex workers are effectively prohibited from protecting themselves.
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No Safety in Numbers: Working together in a shared flat can lead to "brothel-keeping" charges, forcing women to work in isolation.
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No Professional Security: Hiring a security guard can be classified as "living off immoral earnings," leaving workers defenseless against the exact type of mob violence currently sweeping Soho.
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The "Nordic Model" Fallacy: While some politicians advocate for criminalizing the buyer, campaigners argue this only pushes the industry further underground, making it harder for women to vet clients or call the police without fear of losing their livelihoods.
The Police Response: Too Little, Too Late?
The Metropolitan Police claim to be using dispersal orders and "Community Protection Warnings," but for the women living through this, the response has been invisible. Niki Adams of the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) points out a glaring double standard: if these raids were happening at any other residence in London, the police response would be swift and categorical.
The message being sent is a dangerous one: because of their profession, these women’s safety is negotiable.
Soho has historically been a safe haven where immigrant and local women felt they could work with some level of autonomy. If the law continues to prevent women from securing their own premises, and the police continue to offer only "warnings" to violent mobs, that safety is a thing of the past.
Would you like me to help you draft a formal letter to a local representative or the borough commander regarding these safety concerns?