Influencer accused of assault after alleged racist confrontation on Tube

An ’anti-woke’ US influencer and her companion sought by police in connection with an incident at a London Underground Station have been charged with a series of offences by British Transport Police.

US national Melissa Rein Lively, 40, was charged with assault by beating, with her companion, German national Philipp Ostermann, 37, charged with two counts of racially aggravated public order offences, following the incident at Bond Street underground station in central London last October.

British Transport Police had previously released an image of two people they wished to speak to following an incident, which saw a woman allegedly assaulted and subjected to racial abuse as she travelled with her family.

The incident took place at around 7.30pm when the female victim was seen entering Bond Street Underground station with her sister and two young children, one of whom was in a pushchair.

A man and women were then seen walking together in front of them when the woman collided with the pushchair.

The man is allegedly to have shouted racial abuse at the family, before his companion allegedly grabbed the woman’s hair.

When the victim tried to defend herself, the man is alleged to have pulled out a small bottle and said it was pepper spray before spraying it in the direction of the victim and her family.

The woman shouted abuse and made lewd gestures at them before both parties left the area.

Enquiries to establish what the substance was are ongoing. There were no ill effects reported.

Ms Lively, a US publicist who runs a PR firm called America First PR,, was in the running for White House Press Secretary - a position ultimately secured by Karoline Leavitt.

US national Lively is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, as is the 37-year-old German national.

Mr Ostermann is associate director of a Munich-based private equity firm called Aequita, with offices in Tokyo and South Carolina.

 

Speaking with Politico back in 2024, Lively expressed her desire to be President Trump’s press secretary, claiming to be “a hair away” from the White House.

Lively, who failed to scure the position, added: “I do think I’m going to get it.

"My sphere of influence goes far beyond people who are paper pushers on the Trump campaign.

“I work with billionaires. My clients are – I can’t even name who I work with. They own half of Palm Beach.”