Mr C in “happy slapping” attack?

Mr C in “happy slapping” attack?

26 August, 2008 | 9.28AM

• Section: Videos Topics: Beatport Blog, DJ Gossip
• Written by: Lee Smith

Out of the blue, at the end of last week a video surfaced on You-Tube which appears to show Shamen legend and End / Superfreq head honcho Mr C defending himself against an attack by a group of random youths.

So was Mr C the latest victim of a the British craze known as “happy slapping” [randomly running up to a complete stranger and slapping them across the face] - or is there more to this than meets the eye?

Watch the video, and read more about this strange story after the jump.

The video was allegedly posted on a handful of dance music forums, most notably on 4four, where Mr C is a regular poster.

Almost instantly, there was some suspicion as to the veracity of the clip – Mr C is well-known for his ability to, shall we say, capture people’s attention.

However, C – real name Richard West – soon joined in the discussion, claiming that three “hoodies” approached him in Islington Park a fortnight ago.

“This guy comes up to me, and it was obvious he was going to try to hit me,” he wrote.

“His swing was obvious, which I blocked and then hit him straight on the chin with a lot of force, and he just went down like a lead balloon.

“As you can see, the other two ran when I confronted them.”

After suggesting that the youths attacked him “because they wanted to happy slap a pop star”, C went on to express his embarrassment over the incident:

“I thought I’d gotten my violent side under control many, many years ago when I got into Buddhism, so I’m very disappointed in myself for simply not running,” he claimed.

“It seems my youth caught up with me, and I lost control which is very disappointing, as I really thought I’d beaten this violent side of my past.”

A few things didn’t add up for the 4four internet detectives, though – you can read the amusing discussion by following this link.

Evidence of the violent nature of modern Britain, or rather bizarre publicity stunt?

Perhaps, as we say in London, Mr C’s just “having a bubble” (which means “laugh”, as in “bubble bath”, for anyone not fluent in Cockney rhyming slang).

We’ll let you decide that one…

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