Right across the country, every year, some young person will go for a night out, and after getting into an altercation, will be punched, knocked unconscious, hitting their head on the pavement, and dying as a result. No surprises, this is overwhelmingly done by (and against) men, particularly young men, and usually involving alcohol. I saw these fights all the time growing up. My hometown of Loughborough brought together a dangerous concoction of poverty based crime, and an enormous cohort of elite male athletes (especially rugby players), and the outcome was gratuitous violence on a weekly basis. I’d regularly see these fights break out. Their devastating, pointless, and boundless brutality, where people put their lives at risk, without any consideration or care. A punch in these circumstances can kill. A punch can cause permanent brain damage and life long disability. The worst of all are the so-called “coward punches”, where someone is punched and knocked out, totally unaware, defenseless, and unprovoked. So why are we not talking about these punches, and the damage and loss of life they can cause? What do you think?

2026-06-19