Surveillance footage from a barbecue restaurant in Tangshan in northern Hebei Province at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, one of the men was shown approaching a table where a group of four women were sitting and putting his hand on a woman’s back. She repulsed him several times before slapping her, causing him to counterattack, causing a quarrel. A group of men entered the restaurant and attacked the woman and her companions while eating, including pushing them to the ground, kicking them and throwing them a chair. Footage outside the restaurant showed the perpetrators dragging the woman who had blocked the man’s advance before beating him, with passers-by and others watching. The photos of her lying on a stretcher, with a swollen and bloodied face, as well as the closed circuit television of the attack caused a great deal of anger on the internet. All nine suspects were arrested on Saturday, according to authorities. Two of the women suffered non-threatening injuries and are being treated in hospital. Their condition is reported to be stable and two others were slightly injured. A Weibo user who was one of the first to post described it as “heartbreaking”, adding: “Does this mean that eating out is so dangerous now, do we have to bring men with us wherever we go? (These men) it is no different from the criminals “. By Sunday, the video had received more than 68 million views and the video of the outside attack had been removed. Social media users condemned the attack and criticized Tangshan police for delaying the arrest of the suspects, and the incident also renewed talk of treating women in China. Earlier this year, another viral video showed a woman chained to a wall in a hut, sparking outrage after officials denied she was a victim of human trafficking. It was later found that she had been sold as a bride.
