feeling threatened

[talk2jayne]

If someone is shouting at you and shaking their finger in front of you face would this be classed as threatening behaviour this has happened to me and i honestly thought i was going to get hit

[Mowbray]

Depends what was said. But i would say it's extremley confrontational.

[LazyGun]

Not sure whether it would be classed as threatening behaviour in the eyes of the law, but it is certainly intimidating.

I am usually fairly laid back, but the one thing that is guaranteed to anger me is someone wagging their finger... I really want to smack em one ;)

Years ago, Ken Clarke the MP used to wag his finger all the time... I remember watching Question Time absolutely fuming at the TV whilst he was doing it. Think the image doctors got to him though, because I dont recall seeing him do that now for quite some time.

[spacechimp]

I'd say so.

[isca]

if you reckon that you could, if needs be, knock em out then its probably not that frightening...

[stanleyman]

If it puts you in fear of physical violence then yes it is and could also be considered an assault. Report it. Personally I'd probably do the same to them.

[markja]

firstly, ask them to stop, say it nicely so they can't claim you were rude or threatening. if that fails then politely ask if they are attatched to the finger and tell them if they keep wagging it in your face you'll snap it off and shove it up their ar*e. make sure your bigger than them though!

[JudgeJ]

Public Order Act 1986, Section 4 - Fear or provocation of violence

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he -

a) uses towards another person threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or

b) distributes or displays to another person any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, with intent to cause that person to believe that immediate unlawful violence will be used against him or another by any person, or to provoke the immediate use of unlawful violence by that person or another, or whereby that person is likely to believe that such violence will be provoked.

To provide consistency (because it may be easier to raise fear in some people than in otherss) the test usually is "would a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene, fear that violence was about to be inflicted".

That's the law. Proving your case would depend on a number of factors and would have to be considered by the prosecuting authorities.