She literally said him telling her she was attractive made her smile. Is she supposed to grovel in gratitude everytime someone shows interest?
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She also said that being there made her feel physically unsafe. Yes, she can threaten him, but it's not entirely uncommon for guys that persistent to act like that's cute/call your bluff, or simply escalate their aggression further. I've seen situations where a woman will outright tell a guy "look, you're a lot bigger than me, I feel physically unsafe right now, can you back off a bit?" And the guy's response is to get offended. And then ignorant. From there you never know how it's going to go.
In a battle of physical strength most men can overpower most women. Even the lack of desire to actually HARM someone else puts people being harassed in these situations at a disadvantage.
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After weighing the risks she decided it was in her best interests to remove herself from the situation.

I can't speak for all women but most women I've talked to are usually assessing the path-most-likely-to-end-in-survival anytime a guy is getting a bit overly friendly.

@purplepumpkin can't say I know any surefire way to get people to leave you alone. You can try using body language that says "leave me alone" before anyone even comes up to you. Be firm in your rejections, like Adam said (though it sounds like you are).
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Honestly one of the most effective things I've found for getting guys to back off is literally just saying "I have a boyfriend." Won't work everytime but seems to dissuade some of them when they're being too persistent.

Uhm not to sound mean or anything, but from the guys I've encountered, French people are on the extreme end of the scale when it comes to flirting.
I mean yeah it happens in Germany as well, but I could definetly enjoy a public park perfectly well.

Hey here's 2 helpful tips that I always use when a guy doesn't get a clue or is persistent. 1. When in public and you don't want to be bothered wear a ring in your ring finger. Tell him all about your love of your life and how your expected to have a child soon. Yes it will take a bit of your time just to say all of that but it works. 2. If you don't have a ring or forgot the ring, make the guy very uncomfortable. Show him your bat shit crazy side, tell him your expected to have 4 kids, a house, money, how your excited to show to your bat shit crazy parents. Randomly talk to yourself, start crying, randomly look for pills and say stuff crazy like verbally at him. Make him regret taking to you. You don't have to make a scene but sometimes you just have get a point across to an idiot to leave you alone. Yes it is a bit of waste of your time and you may not want to draw too much attention to yourself but you have to do what you can to enjoy your day. That's my 2 cents.

Thanks y'all!
@adam44 I don't even think I am attractive, imo these guys see someone with bobs and vagene and they try their luck. As @xvarnah said, I felt like any physical confrontation would have turned to my disadvantage (am I a coward? yes.)
I said hi when I heard "hi" because I'm polite and maybe he needed directions etc, but by body language was clear, I didn't look at him longer than needed and resumed copying notes, only saying "uh-uh" & not taking my eyes off my notebooks again because I wanted him to go away. I should probably have said "stop that". I'll try the bf one if needed.
@mialinay I gotta visit Germany again some day :D
@honeybumblebee I don't really like jewelry and don't own anything that could pass as a proper "lover's ring" but I like the 2nd piece of advice. When I was coming back home I thought I should have said "what for?" when he said he was coming back. Playing dumb or crazy is my game and can turn a bad situation into a funny one!

I have have cut men off and told them to stop harassing me. You asked if I was interested, my answer is No. It's not the answer they wanted but it was the answer they got. Don't be afraid to call the police and tell them a strange man is harassing you in a park. You don't owe them anything.

Disengaging from a confrontation you never asked for, don't benefit from, and likely can't win wouldn't make you a coward imo

I dont go to public parks, but I've found that most guys have an 'allergy' to pointed metal objects ;D

Well, if I'm going to bet blasted then I'm not sticking around. Hopefully you find a solution without lying purplepumpkin. See ya.

I think you did the right thing by leaving if you felt uncomfortable. Granted you shouldn't have to do that. Perhaps go with a friend or be near other people if possible in the park. So that, if needed, you can firmly say no. What others said work well too. It upsets me when people can't feel comfortable in a public setting. As a guy I'll try to take hints better. Not sure how that helps you though.. Though I don't think I'm that cocky. Especially in real life

Pepper spray 'em

@jmmcclain as far as I can tell most guys are perfectly fine and can take hints. It's the few that cause the problems, but the problems they cause can be fairly frustrating or downright traumatizing

@purplepumpkin don’t feel bad about leaving the situation. You were uncomfortable and it was the right thing to do.

As soon as you're aware that someone is hitting on you and not just asking for directions you should emphatically declare your disinterest. "Leave. Me. Alone." is straightforward and doesn't allow room for argument unlike "I'm not interested," or "I have a boyfriend." Don't encourage him with your "uh-huh"s - he doesn't deserve them and you shouldn't be polite. As women, we're taught to be as accommodating as possible, so this is a great time to practice advocating for yourself and overcome any qualms about being rude. If you truly can't handle the confrontation, then wear a large pair of headphones and absolutely refuse to engage with anyone, not even eye contact. When you're in public you don't have to be "on-call" for social interaction.

Headphones, sunglasses, RBF, wedding ring, and a brick in your purse. Sometimes that still isn’t enough. The problem with these entitled boys these days!
Still absolutely wild how a boy answered this post saying you needed to change your perspective and be grateful. Smh. Baby boy, change your perspective first. You ever been made to feel small and in danger just for not liking someone? You ever been harassed and followed just because someone wanted to scare you and retaliate for hurt feelings? You ever thought someone would violate you because you bruised their ego? And after that, society and sometimes your own family would blame you for it? No? Then sit down, shut your mouth, and listen.
Girl, you may never change the way men are. But don’t you ever EVER change the way you are. Don’t change the things you like doing for men. Go to the park, wear the mini skirt, live YOUR life. Hold your head up high and make sure when you say “No” he knows it’s a command, not a suggestion.

Tell him \ them to fuck off. I'm 50 and trust me, you will let way too many ass hats take space in your head and waste your time.. I regret allowing these knobs to waste my "me time."

@lydia ah yes stabby hat pins were the shit. Plus I don't look good in a hat so it might deter some :D
@jmmcclain As @xvarnah said only a few people are part of the problem, from your comments you don't sound like an asshat.
Everyone, thanks for understanding what I feel. I'm going to stop being polite and giving them enough importance to mess with my thoughts. @ratfink11 I think I actually needed that perspective. I hate having regrets and I'm not gonna make my future self pity me.
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I feel somehow safer. Irl the only answers I've gotten since I'm 15 are like "ah yes you'll get used to it" or "yeah it be like that" so talking to y'all helped. Now I see the first part of this situation I can change is my perspective on it. Next time I'll be stronger and maybe I won't have to "get used to it" anymore.

One other thing is you could also take a umbrella with you. May seem a bit silly but if there's a lot of aggressive guys in the area having something with a bit of reach might offer a bit of extra security

Yeah, I agree with xvarnah and everyone. Definitely do not "get used to it." Yeah, that makes me want to say bad things