Brutal beating of women in China highlights risk of saying ‘no’

The man walked into a barbecue restaurant in China and approached a table of three women. He put his hand on the back of one, who shook him off. In response, he slapped her — then, with several other men, savagely beat her and the other women, hitting them with chairs, kicking them and dragging them outdoors. The security camera footage of the brutal attack, which took place in the city of Tangshan on Friday and left two women hospitalised, spread online and has continued to dominate public conversation. Women flooded social media with their outrage and terror at the threat of sexual violence that looms over everyday life. Just three of many related hashtags on Weibo have been viewed over 4.8 billion times. By Sunday, the authorities said they had arrested seven men and two women.
The intensity of the public response made clear the growing attention to sexual harassment and gender-based violence in China. But almost simultaneously, other narratives that played down the gender angle emerged. Some legal scholars said the incident was about public safety writ large, not just for women. State media outlets focused on the possibility of gang violence. Weibo deleted hundreds of accounts, accusing their users of seeking to stoke en mity between genders.
The conflicting interpretations underscored how divisive feminism remains. Feminist activists have been dismissed in court, sued or arrested. State-owned media have described #MeToo as a weapon for foreign forces to weaken China. Protections against domestic violence and harassment are spotty.
The attack ignited so much outrage in part because the violence was so extreme. But that anger will not necessarily translate into more recognition of the risks that women face, said activist Feng Yuan. “
There are so many incidents that were not filmed. Violence against women in our society is really nothing new.”