As much as we make life out to be a bed of roses, there’s plenty of thorns lurking underneath. Most of the time, we remain aware of the issues but sometimes, they grow to be bigger than life.
Recently, a group of women were badly beaten by nine men in a BBQ restaurant in Tangshan city, in the Hebei province. This has incited outcries from Chinese netizens and celebrities about violence against women.
On 10th June, three women were having a meal at the BBQ restaurant. However, their peace was soon interrupted by a group of men. According to reports, a male customer touched the back of a woman wearing a white T-shirt. When asked what he wanted, he supposedly told the woman he wanted to “f***” her. The woman pushed his arm away and raised her voice at him. He supposedly tried to grab her again but she slapped his hand away. This angered him and he hit her in the face.
As the lady was fighting back against the man, her friend, dressed in black, stood up and smashed a beer bottle on the man’s head. Immediately after, she was pulled away and beaten by two other males who joined the fight. Their third friend tried to help but was stopped when one of the men threw a chair and started beating her too. The fight escalated further when another man stepped in. He dragged the lady in white out of the restaurant by her hair. He was then joined by another male customer who smashed a bottle on her head.
The beating continued outside as the group of men hit, kicked and dragged the lady on the ground. Several attacks were targeted at her head. Any woman who tried to stop the beating was also condemned by the nine men. One woman who made an attempt was hit in the head by one of the men, who later stopped and hugged her immediately after. It is assumed that was his own partner whom he hit.
Two women were sent to the hospital for treatment, with a few others suffering minor injuries. Photos of the lady in white went viral on social media. It showed her badly injured and heavily bandaged with a swollen face. The incident left many netizens questioning those at the restaurant. Several asked why no one had called the police. Others wondered where the owner of the restaurant was and why they hadn’t stepped in. Some also condemned the men at the restaurant for letting the women handle the situation. However, the restaurant owner later spoke up, claiming she had tried to help, but she was a woman in her 50s – 60s.
The incident concerned several Chinese celebs, including Hong Kong star Jackie Chan (成龙). Jackie spoke up about the matter on Weibo saying it had distressed him greatly. “I was really angry. I couldn’t sleep all night,” he stated. “It was especially sad that only the women stood up to help each other throughout the whole incident. All the men around (them) were indifferent.” Jackie stressed that his films have never encouraged violence towards women. “When we see bullying behaviour, if we have the ability to stop it, we must stand up (to it). Because at such a time, helping others is (also) helping ourselves!” he said.
Another celebrity, Crystal Zhang (张天爱) also condemned their actions. “What we have seen is sexual harassment, malicious harm and it can never be summed up as picking quarrels and provoking trouble after being drunk,” she stated firmly. “Seeing this makes me angry, my heart hurts!” She expressed her belief in punishing the perpetrators and hoped there would be public welfare organisations willing to lend them a hand. Crystal also offered her own studio’s help with medical expenses and psychological counselling.
Thankfully, all nine involved in the incident (seven men, two women) have been arrested. A notice regarding their arrest was issued on 11th June. Currently, investigations into the matter are underway. The main perpetrator who started the incident supposedly has a history of rape and murder, according to netizens as reported by China Press.
Police have also added that the victims are in stable condition. Depending on the seriousness of their injuries, the group of perpetrators can face either five years of prison or three to ten years of prison.
Videos here, watch at your own discretion:
5 men in Tangshan (唐山), Hebei province, brutally assaulted a woman in a restaurant after she turned down unwanted attention from one of them. The woman suffered serious injuries, and the attack has sparked furious demands to address misogyny in China.
🔻 video – part #1
1/n pic.twitter.com/5ssWohzWEt
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) June 11, 2022
Video: Happened last week in Tangshan, China: Han men hit Han women; 1 female had died in a hospital. China is currently being ran by criminal gangsters, sitting at the top is the #CCP central gov’t. “Absolutely no mercy to Uyghurs” said #Xitler; 1/ pic.twitter.com/HQCC8gm9jA
— Erkin Sidick (@ErkinSidick) June 12, 2022
Sources: China Press (1)(2)(3)(4), Weibo (1)(2), YouTube (1)(2), What’s On Weibo, Twitter (1)(2)(3)
