Sir – On Sunday, May 15, I was in Cornmarket Street enjoying a coffee outside. As you know, many street artists perform there. One woman, in particular, imitates a statue and keeps perfectly still on a plinth of some sort.

Suddenly, I heard a loud shout and turned round to see a man in a rabbit costume staring at the performer. Eventually he went away with a group of friends. I realised that he had tried to frighten her.

What made it worse was that many people in the vicinity laughed. It is to her credit that she retained her composure after this verbal assault. She packed up shortly after and left.

Street performers should be able to operate free from harassment and this episode illustrated how unfeeling and cowardly we have become as a society.

I hope the coward who tried to intimidate the artist feels ashamed.

Mark Simmons, Oxford