A man sized 4ft 11 has spoken out against the "awful" hecklers who make his life a living hell.
Actor Hank Osasuna, 49, told MyLondon he was recently jeered at by shoppers at Sainsbury's – who proceeded to sing a string of offensive songs about his height.
A total stranger, aged around 70, began singing a song about a "little man" in his direction before singing "heigh-ho" when he encountered him again.
Osasuna said the unprovoked attack was followed by a complete denial by the cruel heckler.
What do you think about Hank's cruel plight? Have your say and see what others think in the comments.
He explained: “I went up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘singing songs about short people are you’ and then I think I just called him a f****** idiot.
“I’ve never really been an overly aggressive person. I never like to get into fights or confrontations.
“He really hurt my feelings and made me feel sad and I don’t really understand why he felt the need to make it into an issue and sing it in front of me.”
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Hank now thinks such acts – which are defined as 'heightism' – should be classed as a hate crime along the same lines as racism or homophobia.
He said: “If I walked up to someone in Sainsbury's and said ‘you’re a fat b****** aren’t you’ or something, I would consider that a hate crime as well.
“It makes me feel like I’m not as equal as other people; which obviously isn’t a nice way to feel.
“It just makes me feel really awful, and I think you can’t get away with that stuff nowadays.
“If I made a comment about somebody based on their gender, sexuality, weight or appearance, that ought to be considered as a hate crime so I think what happened to me is a hate crime definitely.”
Osasuna has appeared in a number of TV shows including the Keith Lemon Sketch Show and The Keith and Paddy Picture Show.
He said the abuse goes back to his childhood, with the word "midget" thrown around left, right and centre.
Hank added: “I was told 'don’t worry about it, just ignore it' but then my brother said I should just punch someone in the face if it happens.
“I am much more comfortable in my own skin than I used to be, but what happened in Sainsbury's caught me by surprise and I was surprised with how much it affected me.”
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