Someone followed me on the street and said, 'Can we get to know each other?'

In such situations, it's best to just say 'no, I don't want to' and walk away. If you approach politely, they might misunderstand and come on stronger. I think you should be clear and straightforward 🙄

I think you could have pretended to walk with your phone and said something like 'I want to be alone.' That way, you'd convey your message and deflect without feeling threatened.

Let's be honest; they probably just wanted to meet you. Maybe they didn't have bad intentions? Instead of panicking and getting angry right away, if you simply said 'no thanks,' the issue wouldn't have escalated 😅

In such situations, you cannot be sure of a person's intentions. Even during the day, pay attention to your surroundings, and if necessary, carry a personal alarm with you. Calm and clear responses are always better.

Let me add a bit; I was actually scared because it was a bit deserted around at that time. I thought to myself, "Would the guy do something?" But then I reflected, "Maybe I didn't say anything rude, but my attitude was harsh." 😅

Hold on, what was the place where the incident happened like? Was it very remote or was it an area along a road? If it was remote, then you did the right thing; speeding up even makes sense.

But this issue is not about whether I should be polite. Approaching someone aggressively in the middle of the street is already a violation of boundaries. How you choose to protect yourself is not for anyone to judge. Such attitudes should not be normalized.