China MMA athlete faces online backlash for reporting groping to police and not retaliating
Woman has been training in martial arts for years, worried she could seriously hurt man if she fought back
A female MMA athlete contacted the Shanghai police after a man attempted to sexually assault her while she was walking home. However, many mainland netizens criticised her for not physically confronting the assailant.
On the morning of September 3, Xu, the woman, was walking in the Jing’an district when a 23-year-old man, surnamed Zhou, began to follow her, as reported by Dute News.
When he asked her for her contact information, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her neck and tried to kiss her. Xu successfully broke free but fell to the ground in the process, only to notice that Zhou was holding a knife. Xu promptly called the police.
The Shanghai police later confirmed on Weibo that Zhou had been detained on charges of “forcibly molesting” a woman. Under Chinese law, such an offence can result in imprisonment for up to five years.
Xu said she was worried about seriously injuring Zhou if she fought back.
“Because I am a professional MMA athlete, my punches are much stronger than the average person, and I was afraid there would be serious consequences if I did not pull my punches,” Xu was quoted as saying. “Plus, if the man was not detained, he would hurt more women, and I want him to receive judicial punishment.”