<p>Eight people have been arrested for a vicious attack on a group of women at a restaurant in China, police said Saturday, in a case that has sparked outrage over predatory sexual behaviour.</p>.<p>Footage of the incident widely circulated online shows a man placing his hand on a woman's back as she shares a meal with two companions at a barbecue restaurant in northern China's Hebei province.</p>.<p>After the woman pushes him away, the man strikes her before others drag her outside and deal a barrage of blows as she lies on the ground. Another woman is also knocked to the floor.</p>.<p>The video renewed an online debate about sexual harassment and gender-based violence in China where the conversation around women's rights has grown in recent years despite pressure from a patriarchal society, internet censorship and patchy legal support.</p>.<p>Campaigners say domestic abuse remains pervasive and under-reported while prominent feminists also face regular police harassment and detention.</p>.<p>Web censors blocked keywords linked to the #MeToo movement after a wave of women accused university professors of sexual harassment in 2018.</p>.<p>Police in Tangshan city on Saturday said they had arrested eight people on suspicion of violent assault and "provoking trouble", while a search for one other suspect was ongoing.</p>.<p>Two women treated at hospital following the incident were "in stable conditions and not in mortal danger", while two others sustained minor injuries, authorities said Friday.</p>.<p>The attack generated hundreds of millions of comments on social media, where users slammed predatory behaviour and urged authorities to crack down on violence against women.</p>.<p>"All of this could happen to me, could happen to any of us," said one commenter in a post liked over 100,000 times.</p>.<p>"How is this sort of thing still happening in 2022?" wrote another. "Please give them criminal sentences, and don't let any of them get away."</p>.<p>Last year, a Chinese man was sentenced to death for murdering his ex-wife as she live-streamed on social media, in a case that shocked the nation.</p>
<p>Eight people have been arrested for a vicious attack on a group of women at a restaurant in China, police said Saturday, in a case that has sparked outrage over predatory sexual behaviour.</p>.<p>Footage of the incident widely circulated online shows a man placing his hand on a woman's back as she shares a meal with two companions at a barbecue restaurant in northern China's Hebei province.</p>.<p>After the woman pushes him away, the man strikes her before others drag her outside and deal a barrage of blows as she lies on the ground. Another woman is also knocked to the floor.</p>.<p>The video renewed an online debate about sexual harassment and gender-based violence in China where the conversation around women's rights has grown in recent years despite pressure from a patriarchal society, internet censorship and patchy legal support.</p>.<p>Campaigners say domestic abuse remains pervasive and under-reported while prominent feminists also face regular police harassment and detention.</p>.<p>Web censors blocked keywords linked to the #MeToo movement after a wave of women accused university professors of sexual harassment in 2018.</p>.<p>Police in Tangshan city on Saturday said they had arrested eight people on suspicion of violent assault and "provoking trouble", while a search for one other suspect was ongoing.</p>.<p>Two women treated at hospital following the incident were "in stable conditions and not in mortal danger", while two others sustained minor injuries, authorities said Friday.</p>.<p>The attack generated hundreds of millions of comments on social media, where users slammed predatory behaviour and urged authorities to crack down on violence against women.</p>.<p>"All of this could happen to me, could happen to any of us," said one commenter in a post liked over 100,000 times.</p>.<p>"How is this sort of thing still happening in 2022?" wrote another. "Please give them criminal sentences, and don't let any of them get away."</p>.<p>Last year, a Chinese man was sentenced to death for murdering his ex-wife as she live-streamed on social media, in a case that shocked the nation.</p>