The New York Times responds to Londoners’ hilarious take on its tweet

Londoners are continuing to mock the New York Times with hilarious stories more than 24 hours after the newspaper requested for readers’ experiences of ‘petty crime’ in the capital.  

From coffee controversies to overpriced pints, brazen queue jumpers to awkward eye contact on the underground residents of the capital are proving relentless in sarcastic send ups of the original message. 

One such response said: ‘I offered my American friend a cup of tea and she said “sure” instead of “yes, thank you”… things have never been quite the same.’

The New York Times appeared to take the mocking in good grace, simply posting a GIF captioned ‘Touche’ earlier today, but even that was used as a springboard for more tongue-in-cheek comebacks from witty Londoners. 

The New York Times has finally responded to Londoners’ hilarious reactions to its tweet asking for their experiences of petty crime in the capital after a day of being mocked mercilessly on Twitter. Responding 24 hours after the original tweet, the NYT simply posted a GIF captioned ‘Touche’, but even that was used as a springboard for more tongue-in-cheek comebacks 

More Britons continue to pile in with their brilliantly sarcastic experiences of crime in London including overpriced pints, brazen queue jumpers and awkward eye contact on the underground during rush hour

One social media user said of the thread: ‘This made me laugh so loud today, although did ensure I was in a private space and no one could hear me. Best of British’, while another said: ‘You’ve been British-ed!’

Meanwhile more tweets directed at the original New York Times request continue to flood in. 

One said: ‘I was in a cafe that was advertising Afternoon Teas. It was around 3pm. An American couple came in and ordered coffee. Being British the other customers all pursed our lips & gave each other knowing glances. I have reported the matter as a diplomatic incident’.

Another said: ‘I was walking down Regent St and saw a sign in the shop saying “coming this Fall”. It is not Fall, the correct term in autumn. What next? Studying Maths without the S?’

Meanwhile more tweets directed at the original New York Times request continue to flood in. One more posted: ‘I offered my American friend a cup of tea and she said “sure” instead of “yes, thank you”… things have never been quite the same’

And another added: ‘I inadvertently tried to hail a black cab that had its light off. Passers by tutted. After that I then had to walk into the nearest shop and pretend to be interested in buying vaping equipment for 10 minutes until anyone who had witnessed my faux pas had left the vicinity.’

The tidal wave of mockery initially began yesterday after a NYT journalist asked Londoners to describe their experiences of ‘petty crime’.  

In an article linked to the tweet, written by the Times’s London correspondent Ceylan Yeginsu, the journalist claimed that a decade of austerity has left police in the capital ‘unable to pursue most suspects involved in minor property crimes’. 

Ms Yeginsu put out a call for people to re-tell their stories of the police’s failure to deal with so-called ‘petty crimes’, and said she had been the victim of a burglary herself during her time in London. 

The New York Times - which recently claimed all Londoners subsisted on boiled button and porridge until well into the 2000s - received a series of mocking responses after asking Londoners for their tales of petty crime 

The New York Times – which recently claimed all Londoners subsisted on boiled button and porridge until well into the 2000s – received a series of mocking responses after asking Londoners for their tales of petty crime 

‘Only 4 percent of all domestic burglaries in London were solved between April 2017 and April 2018,’ Ms Yeginsu’s appeal read.

‘While the number of suspects caught for all crimes has halved over five years to 9 percent.

‘I am a London-based reporter for The Times who has covered crime in Britain for the past two years. Two months ago my apartment was burgled, and I have had my own experience with this.

‘If you live in London and have had issues with the police’s response to petty crime, I would like to hear about your experience.’

Unfortunately for Ms Yeginsu, her tweet promoting the campaign on the New York Times’s Twitter page quickly descended into farce as British social media users unleashed a tsunami of sarcasm.  

One woman recounted the story of being handed a Darjeeling tea despite ordering an Earl Grey. 

And there were plenty of tall tales, such as a man who claimed to have been pick-pocketed by a Fagin-like old man and his gang of orphan children. 

New York v London: Which has the highest crime rate?

Earlier this year, London’s murder rate overtook New York City’s for the first time ever.

February marked the first month in history that London had more murders than the American city with a total of 15 homicides. Out of the 15 killed, nine were aged 30 or younger. 

According to a report by the Sunday Times, New York City’s murder statistics have decreased by 87 per cent since the 1990s.

Donald Trump has previously claimed knife crime in London is out of control and the capital is 'like a war zone'

Donald Trump has previously claimed knife crime in London is out of control and the capital is ‘like a war zone’

Meanwhile, London’s rate has grown by nearly 40 per cent in just three years, not including deaths caused by terrorist attacks.

But in July it was reported that in every other month of 2018, there has been more murders in New York than London, despite it having a smaller population.

With a population of around 10.6 million, London is considerably larger than the Big Apple, which has around 8.6 million residents.

Between January and June, there were 80 homicides in London, reports the BBC. But in the same six months, New York has had almost twice as many murder cases – 141 so far. 

The February statistics prompted Donald Trump to wade into the debate during a speech to the National Rifle Association in May, claiming there ‘was blood all over the floors’ of a London hospital, although he failed to declare which one. 

He added: ‘They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives, knives.’ 

Although New York last year had nearly double the number of murders than London, experts are concerned the gap is steadily closing. 

But perhaps the worst misdemeanour of all perpetrated by one Londoner on another was recounted by @olibradley, who wrote: ‘I asked someone how they were… and they actually told me.’ 

Noting the enduring importance of queues to Brits, @Peta-Moxon tweeted: ‘When I worked in London someone pushed in front of me in a queue.’ 

‘Someone held the door open for me when I was still ten feet away and then I had to run and pretend I was grateful. I was sweaty and fuming,’ @harriet1marsden wrote.

‘I said ‘after you’ to a woman entering a cafe and instead of saying ‘no no please, my good lady I insist, after YOU’ she went in, ordered exactly what I was going to order for lunch, and got the last one,’ wrote Twitter user @ericabuist.

‘I almost tutted but I am not an animal,’ she said.  And @jimxant pointed out that London’s wildlife aren’t exempt from criminal activity. 

‘I once saw a pigeon nick a mayonnaise sachet from an old couple on a park bench,’ he reported. 

The unspoken laws of using the London underground featured highly in the replies as well.

‘Someone made eye contact with me on the tube once. The culprit is still at large, despite a massive police operation,’ wrote @ralasdair. 

‘Once on the Northern Line in Clapham a small group of people spontaneously sung a christmas song – council and police failed to issue ASBOs to any offenders,’ replied an aghast @SamANutt. 

And @chazpLDN tweeted: ‘A charlatan didn’t have his Oyster card ready this morning before getting to the front of the underground queue. Audible tutting ensued.’

Then there were a suspicious number of ‘crimes’ which mirrored fictional events. 

‘A woman with a flying umbrella and her grubby friend accosted me and tried to shove me into a floor painting,’ wrote @juliamcfarlane.

The expense of living in the UK capital came up again and again as something which should be made illegal.

‘My landlord charges us £2,000 a month in rent and a lady from the council just told me my bedroom is too small to be legally occupied,’ tweeted @indiablock.

And @GarethAOwen1 wrote simply: ‘£6 for a pint. Daylight robbery!’ 

Meanwhile, @eapbee said: ‘The Rivoli Bar in the Ritz charged me £90 for a Negroni. Incredible scenes.’

Neither the New York Times nor the journalist who made the appeal have responded to the overwhelming number of case studies they have received. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk