Fifty Shades of Abuse campaign gets off to a fiery start

A charity that supports victims of domestic violence is planning to burn copies of the erotic bestseller

Wearside Women in Need, in Sunderland, claims that Fifty Shades of Grey glorifies the abuse of women, and has launched the Fifty Shades of Abuse campaign. The charity will collect copies, and a bonfire of the books is to be lit on Guy Fawkes Night.

Claire Phillipson, director of Wearside Women in Need, said: 'It normalises abuse, degrades women and encourages sexual violence.'

She told BBC News: 'I do not think I can put into words how vile I think this book is and how dangerous I think the idea is that you get a sophisticated but naive, young women and a much richer, abusive older man who beats her up and does some dreadful things to her sexually.

'My main objection is that at a time when local authorities are making cuts to outreach and refuge services for women experiencing domestic violence, we have libraries wasting and grossly misusing public to buy a book which says: "domestic violence is sexy."'