Gareth O'Callaghan: Asking for Angela shouldn’t be necessary — so why is it?

Toxic masculinity, online hate, and institutional failures are fueling violence against women — how can society stop the cycle?

A history of exposure to chauvinism and misogyny has made toxic men what they are; but now — inflamed by proud misogynist Andrew Tate and his millions of male teenage followers — the mindless brainwashing of an entire generation has reached grotesque levels.

“Ask For Angela” are the first words you notice on the brightly coloured poster above the main bar in this well-known Cork pub and music venue. On closer inspection, it turns out to be a code for women enjoying a few drinks who feel threatened by men who are doing more than just invading their space.

Ask For Angela was launched in memory of Angela Phillips who was killed by her husband, Thomas Crompton, in 2012 when he attacked her with a hammer in their Norfolk home following an argument about redecorating. He was jailed for seven and a half years. Her memory lives on in this international safety campaign as an unsettling reminder that women are not safe in a way that men are.