A TikTok capturing the moment a woman harassed a young busker singing on the street has gone viral.
The footage was taken by Shanice Forster – a singer who regularly busks in towns and cities across the UK.
She recorded the interaction with the angry woman and captioned the post: “There’s always a Karen out there tryna bring you down, but it ain’t happening.”
In the clip, the passerby can be heard saying to Forster: “You can’t bloody sing anyway, you’re putting people off.”
The woman then threatened: “You’ll get reported to the council.”
@shaniceforstermusic There’s always a Karen out there tryna bring you down, but it ain’t happening ✨ kill the haters with kindness hahah #fypシ #busking #foryou #viral
Forster responded extremely diplomatically, asking the woman if she was ok and explaining that she had permission from the council to perform there.
She asked the angry woman, “Mate, I don’t know if you’re upset today” before another lady approached and stuck up for Forster, telling the woman: “She can sing. She’s got a right to sing”.
The clip has been viewed 2.1 million times on TikTok and Forster has been widely praised for how she reacted to the nasty encounter.
One person wrote: “Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t let anyone tell you different.”
Another said: “You handled that with class.”
Among the support for the singer, others also praised the lady who came to defend her.
A TikTok user said: “So much respect for the lady that stood up for you… don’t know how you stayed so calm.”
In a follow up busking video, Forster thanked people for their support, saying: “Thanks for everyone’s kindness. From my last post mindblown by the support.”
@shaniceforstermusic Will continue to do what makes me happy, that’s key✨ #fypシ #foryoupage #viral #foryou bring on more Karen’s hehehe
She also vowed that nothing was going to stop her from doing what makes her happy.