A tabloid newspaper in the U.K has as its lead article today the sorry
story of a breastfeeding mother having dirty water thrown over her! It
takes up the first 3 pages, but that may be because the woman concerned
is a writer, currently on maternity leave, on the newspaper. As the
article is so long I cannot quote it but will give you the highlights.

It was a hot day and the 3-week old baby became thirsty while the family
was out shopping. The mother went into a shaded alley and sat on a stone
bollard to feed. She sat facing the wall and put a shawl across herself.
The irate owner of a nearby shop (and owner of the bollard) demanded
that she leave. She refused, explaining that she was feeding her baby,
and he threw a bin full of dirty water over her, the baby and the pram.
Grandmother called the police who told man his behaviour was
inapropriate. (A police spokesman later said that 'Public opinion on the
acceptability of breastfeeding in public is not in the realms of the
police service.') The shop owner later told the newspaper that he
believed breastfeeding was as repellent as urinating when carried out in
public.
Quotes from the NCT, the Royal College of Nursing, and the Royal College
of Midwives support the mother.
A quote from a Conservative Member of Parliament includes the following:
'As a mother and grandmother I am well aware of the importance of
breastfeeding babies. I also believe that breastfeeding in public is not
at all appropriate behaviour. To flagrantly breastfeed in public is not
good manners. I avert my eyes when I see a mother breastfeeding her baby
because I think it is a private matter and not for all the world to see.
It is fair for some stores to ban breastfeeding. After my own children
were a few weeks old, I had a routine and stuck to it. I made sure that
I fed them at the right time and in an appropriate place. I would work
out in advance where I was going to be and planned my day around it.'

The store that owns the shop, Bona Arts Decorative Ltd, said they were
taking legal advice and branded the breastfeeding on their property as
'malicious trespass'

I am seldom rendered speechless, but my heart sinks at the thought of
all the letter writing to be done!
Carolyn Westcott RN IBCLC
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Carolyn Westcott