German actress Laura Pradelska took to Twitter this week to share a horrifying encounter she had with an enraged woman while shopping at Zara’s.
Pradelska, perhaps best known for her role as the masked woman in Qarth on Game of Thrones, says she was shopping in London when four women cut in line.
“A kind lady behind me politely asked them not to, at which point they started shouting the worst abuse at her,” she said. After that, she says she stepped in to try to diffuse the situation, but the women began attacking her “with vile racial abuse” and called her a “transgender whore.”
“Completely insignificant wether [sic] I am trans or not but I’d hope [Zara] would NEVER tolerate this behavior,” she immediately added.
1) So I NEVER rant on Social Media, but I’ve just witness the worst behaviour @ZARA on Oxford street. 4 Women jumped the queue, a kind lady behind me politely asked them not to, at which point they startled shouting the worst abuse at her, I told them to calm down, they then
— ᏞᎪURA PRADELSKA (@LauraPradelska) July 31, 2019
2) verbally attacked me with vile racial abuse, whilst one of the Women continued to scream in my face that I’m a TRANSGENDER whore – completely insignificant wether I am trans or not but I’d hope @ZARA would NEVER tolerate this behaviour. The women should’ve been kicked out!
— ᏞᎪURA PRADELSKA (@LauraPradelska) July 31, 2019
Speaking later to the DailyMail, Pradelska expanded on the situation, clarifying that in addition to being upset at how the women treated the older woman initially, she was also frustrated at how they tried to use “transgender” as an insult.
“So the woman turned around and just screamed I’m a transgender whore and I shouldn’t belong in this world, I’m ugly and she doesn’t know where I come from but wherever it is, I should get the fuck back. It was just horrendous.”
She continued: “Calling me ugly, transgender, I’m not really a woman, if I were, that isn’t the point. It’s the fact they made it something bad, which angered me so much, the fact that they made it into a horrible thing, that’s very normal to me and many other people.”
The security at Zara reportedly didn’t know how to handle the situation, which sounds like it got way out of control compared to what a normal day of shopping probably looks like. Pradelska insists she isn’t trying to get anyone working at the store in trouble, but she hopes employees will be better equipped to deal with something so heinous in the future.
“Maybe they can review their general rules that abuse is not tolerated amongst our customers as it is not tolerated to staff,” she said. “If you hear any racial abuse, anything, you just politely take people aside.”
