by Liya Su in SCMP, Dec 27, 2023
Shanghai: A video of a father ordering his child to beat up a classmate in school has shocked mainland social media.

The father, from Jilin province in northeastern China, was filmed instructing his son to violently attack his fellow student on December 14.

The ages of the two pupils are unclear, but they study in the same school and were attending an after-school class at the time of the incident.

In the surveillance footage, the father is seen shouting as a classroom full of children looks on in shock, when he orders his son to hit a classmate.

“Come over here, and take your coat off,” he bellows.

The son does as he is told and the father tosses the coat on to the desk. At that moment a female teacher feels compelled to intervene.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Hit him,” the father demands, ignoring the teacher.

The son stands with his back to the wall, looking hesitant, but the father grabs his arm and pushes him forward. The boy then hits the other child as frightened classmates stare in disbelief.

When a male teacher tries to stop the fight, the father blocks him.

The principal of the school said the incident was reported to the police and that the victim’s mother had been informed.

The mother, who has mental health issues, agreed to a settlement, apparently without knowing the extent of any injuries her son may have sustained during the altercation.

The father’s behaviour sparked outrage on Chinese social media.

“He was teaching his little son to fight. Is he insane?” Asked one observer.

“Does the mother have the mental capacity to make an informed decision about a settlement? The father bullied the schoolmate, and his mother too,” commented another.

“The violent father is teaching his son to become like him,” another said.

Stories of assault and bullying in schools regularly cause concern in China.

In April, a grandfather in southern China who helped his young grandson physically assault a classmate as revenge for an earlier argument sparked an online backlash.

In July last year, a female secondary school student in northwestern China was brutally beaten up by a male schoolmate in the classroom after he lost at the Japanese board game of Gobang.
https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3246130/hit-him-bullying-chinese-father-orders-young-son-beat-classmate-school-triggers-police-probe-and