Photo: screenshot from Sina Weibo

A 65-year-old man was detained after harassing and assaulting a young woman with a cane on the subway when she refused to give up her seat to him, according to a briefing issued by Beijing police on Tuesday. The incident sparked wide discussion on social media and the penalty won plaudits from many netizens. 

A video posted by a netizen on Monday shows that the elderly man, whose name is not given, asked the young woman to give up her seat for him on the Beijing Subway's Line 10. After the woman refused, stating she would offer her seat to someone else but not to him, the man then used his cane to sweep between her legs.

The elderly in the video confronted the woman and said, "What's wrong with me asking if you can let me sit?" and stated that he didn't force her to give up her seat for elderly people, while pointing his hand at the woman and pushing her hand. 

After the man became agitated and swept his cane toward the middle of the woman's leg, he said "Call the police, we'll go to the police station, and you can say I'm harassing you." The video clip also shows that subway security was attempting to mediate the dispute.

Giving up one's seat is ultimately a moral issue, not a legal obligation. The old man's behavior was deemed disorderly conduct on the subway and he has been placed under administrative detention, according to media reports. 

Many netizens gave a thumbs-up toward the penalty, criticizing the man for using his age as an excuse to attack others and calling for consequences for his harassment.

Global Times