Fat-shaming cards: Police investigating 'Overweight Haters' messages handed to Tube passengers

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Police have launched an investigation into a "fat-shaming" card reportedly given to a woman on the Tube in London.

British Transport Police (BTP) issued an appeal for information after the passenger claimed she was handed a message from an organisation saying it “hates and resents fat people”.

Purportedly the work of an organisation calling itself 'Overweight Haters Ltd', the card supposedly read “fat” on one side.

The other side bore the message: “Our organisation hates and resents fat people. We object to the enormous amount of food resources you consume while half the world starves.

“We disapprove of your wasting NHS money to treat your selfish greed. And we do not understand why you fail to grasp that by eating less you will be better off, slimmer, happy and find a partner who is not a perverted chubby-lover, or even find a partner at all.

“We also object that the beatiful pig is used as an insult [sic]. You are not a pig. You are a fat, ugly human.”

In a statement given to The Independent, a spokesman for the BTP said: “We are aware of the leaflets being handed out on London Underground and would urge anyone who has received one to contact us on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 with details.”

Speaking to Stylist, the woman who posted the image online after claiming to have been handed it, Kara Florish, said: “We had just pulled into Warren Street station when the man walked to get off the train and put the card on my lap before he got off. Unfortunately I didn't see him, but did notice that he was ordinary looking, a middle-aged man in normal clothes.

“When I first read the card I thought it was some sort of joke and just put it down on the seat next to me, but when I thought about it a bit more I decided to do something about it, which is why I posted it on Facebook and asked people to share it.

“I'm a size 12/14, always been what people call curvy, but I don't consider myself fat,” she says. “I'm active and go to the gym at least twice a week, don't smoke, hardly drink and don't do drugs. I have no health issues (that I know of) and have never been seriously ill or in hospital (touch wood) so don't consider myself 'a drain on the NHS'. In fact I'm currently employed by them.

“I work for a mental health organisation so am aware of how detrimental something like this can be to the wrong person. I hope they shut down all these negative websites, as they are encouraging antisocial and hateful behaviour and it is bullying.”

Following reports across social media of the cards being handed out, some people showed their defiance on Twitter.

Some believe the card may be the work of members of a group thread previously on online message board Reddit, /r/FatPeopleHate, which has moved to another site, Voat, after being banned by Reddit.