Chinese authorities arrested nine men after video footage of a vicious attack on a group of female diners at a barbecue restaurant sparked outrage and debate on women’s rights on social media.
The attack took place early Friday in the northern city of Tangshan, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The suspects were arrested Saturday after a search that spanned two provinces. An official in Tangshan vowed to "severely punish” those involved, the report added.
Security footage of the incident shows a man approaching a table of three female diners and putting his hand on one woman’s back. When she resists his advances, the man attacks her and a friend, and several other men pile in. The woman is later dragged outside by her hair, where the men repeatedly beat and kick her as she lays on the ground.