It seems it is, indeed, more a case of misunderstanding than anything else.
What matters most, in any situation, is that a person should never assault anyone, and that assault should definitely be discouraged. The amount of force used during such a discouragement of course depends on the situation (though being a woman doesn't count as a disability in my book), but discouragement must occur in order to keep the peace.
Edit: And 'harm' means a hell of a lot more than just trash-talking people.