Madrid cracks down on ‘manspreading’ on public transport after petition from women’s group
Fed up women in Madrid, Spain, have launched an internet campaign to stop #manspreading
A NEW campaign to stop "manspreading" in Spain has vowed to stop "sexist" men encroaching on other seats while using public transport.
Fed up women are protesting online against blokes spreading their legs on the tube and taking up all the room - a practice dubbed "manspreading".
Annoyed Spanish locals have started the on Twitter and have launched a petition on against the male practice, saying it is seen all too often, especially in Madrid on the metro and on other public transport.
Dozens of pictures under the hashtag have shamed men blatantly spreading their legs and being inconsiderate on public transport in the country.
Hundreds of supporters have signed the petition with many complaining of having "no place to put your legs because the man who sits next to you occupies more of your space or literally becomes the owner of all of the seat".
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Another petition set up by a feminist group in Madrid last year gathered more than 12,000 signatures.
A bus operator in the capital city EMT has put up new signs showing a seated male figure with his legs extended next to a red cross.
EMT said they remind males "of the need to maintain civic behaviour and to respect the space of everyone on board the bus".
Similar campaigns in the United States and Japan have seen women take a stand against men spreading themselves, with some even saying the act is sexist.
One unnamed campaigner said: "Manspreading is not something that occurs sporadically, if you look you will notice that it is a very common practice.
"It is not difficult to see women with their legs closed and very uncomfortable because there is a man next to her who is invading her space with his legs.
"This is not about bad manners. Men transmit an idea of hierarchy and territoriality, as if space belonged to them."
Last month a new Facebook group emerged called , which featured various hilarious pictures of women taking up too much space on public transport.
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