A threat of civil action hangs above the YouTubers who prowl Manchester’s streets for videos of young women on nights out. Yet the platform is STILL awash with creepy ‘Manchester nightlife’ videos devoted to little else but women enjoying their evening in the city centre.
Dozens of ‘vile’ videos have been published on YouTube in the last week alone – racking up tens of thousands of views each in a matter of days. More than 30 were seen to have been posted on the site in the seven days up to Thursday (April 2).
It is unclear how recently the footage in each video was recorded, but the subject matter for each one is exactly the same. And the murky accounts which post the videos make no attempt whatsoever to hide what the clips are all about.
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One video posted in the last week features a title describing ‘Beautiful Ladies Walking Through the Night Streets’, while another is described as ‘Drunk Girls Nightlife Walk’. One clip is described as featuring ‘Sexy Girls’ and ‘Manchester most beautiful girls’, and another is described as showing ‘Beautiful English Girls After Dark’.
The videos mainly focus on the Deansgate, Peter Street and Spinningfields areas. The videos usually show women who are understood to be intoxicated and appear to be in a vulnerable state.
One recent video begins with a woman collapsed on the ground. In another a woman is helped up off the floor by a friend before collapsing, with a security guard rushing to her assistance.
In some clips, women are followed from behind, while in some footage the camera zooms in on the unwitting subjects. Such activity has been described as ‘predatory behaviour’ by Greater Manchester Police.
After being contacted by the Manchester Evening News, YouTube has deactivated one account for repeat violations of its nudity and sexual content policy. The platform says it rigorously enforces its policies on the platform for both content and comments, and users are urged to report concerns.
A YouTube spokesperson said: “Nudity and sexual content is not allowed on YouTube and we will remove violative content. We also prohibit content that contains unwanted sexualization of an identifiable individual.”
‘Stop them earning money for this vile activity’
While it is legal to film in a public place, police have vowed to take action when this activity crosses the line into offences such as upskirting, stalking or harassment. The force launched a criminal investigation in connection with several reports of women being filmed without their consent in the city centre, after the phenomenon was exposed by an M.E.N. investigation.
One man was arrested on suspicion of harassment and voyeurism. The criminal investigation has since come to an end, due to limitations in current legislation.
However, GMP announced in January that it was exploring civil action alongside Manchester council. It comes after multiple women had told officers of the harrowing impact that featuring in the videos had on their lives – and the lewd comments they attracted.
Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester council’s city centre spokesperson, described the issue as a ‘modern phenomenon’ which the law is yet to catch up with. He believes that stopping the content creators’ funding is the key to finally putting a stop to it.
“The way to get to these people is to stop them earning money for this vile activity,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “The only people that can do that is YouTube.”
Coun Karney says the council is due to meet with YouTube about issues affecting the city. The separate phenomenon of so-called auditors ‘causing distress and provocation’ in Piccadilly Gardens was already on the agenda, and Coun Karney says he will also ‘look at’ the issue of women being followed in nightlife videos ahead of the meeting.
‘We will listen, you will be believed’
Behind the scenes, a huge amount of work is taking place to ensure women and girls are safe on the city’s streets. More than 600 businesses have now signed up to Manchester council’s Women’s Night-time Safety Charter, with free safety training and guidance offered to venues.
The WalkSafe+ app is also promoted by Manchester council, allowing people to share their journeys with trusted contacts and report any concerns in the city. Coun Joanna Midgley, Manchester council’s deputy leader, previously told the M.E.N. these were pioneering new approaches which form part of the authority’s efforts to ‘take any threat to women’s safety extremely seriously’.
Across the wider region, Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s #IsThisOk? campaign challenges unacceptable behaviour aimed towards women and girls – encouraging everyone in society to play their part. As for GMP, officers patrol Manchester city centre’s bustling nightspots as part of Operation Safer Streets.
Launched in 2023, the operation has been credited for more than 1,000 interventions with vulnerable. As of January, GMP said the operation led to reductions in rape reports of 50 per cent around Deansgate and Peter Street, and 68 per cent in the Northern Quarter and Village areas.
There were also increases of reporting of spiking and sexual offences, while as of January, it was linked to 980 interventions regarding ‘predatory behaviour’. GMP is continuing to urge women who ‘experience anything which makes them feel unsettled or unsafe on a night out’ to come forward – with the force using the information to inform how to allocate resources.
“Predatory behaviour is completely unacceptable, and tackling this has been a priority for our night time economy policing operation,” Superintendent Nicola Williams, of GMP City of Manchester, said in January. She added: “We are committed to ensuring nights out are safe for everyone and encourage anyone who is subjected to unwanted behaviour to report this to us.
“We will listen, you will be believed, and we will investigate all lines of enquiry.” Reports can be submitted to GMP online or by calling 101.
