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UK street fashion brand Boy London denounces brutality after it was publicly linked with a gang leader who viciously attacked a group of women in China. Photo: Handout

‘Resolutely resist violence’: UK fashion label Boy London denounces brutality after publicly linked with gang who viciously attacked women in north China

  • A violent assault on a group of women diners at a restaurant in China caught on camera has shocked mainland opinion and hit global headlines
  • One of the men involved in the attack was filmed wearing a T-shirt from UK street fashion brand Boy London, which is now being held responsible by some online
UK street fashion label Boy London is facing a severe public backlash in China after a gang member filmed viciously beating a group of women at a restaurant was seen wearing a T-shirt made by the brand.

The attack occurred late on Friday evening at a barbecue restaurant in Tangshan in Hebei province, northern China and was caught on CCTV.

It started when a man began harassing a woman customer and touching her back and shoulder. The woman rebuffed him before he and a group of other men attacked her and her friends. Two of the women required hospital treatment after the prolonged assault by the men during which the victims were repeatedly hit, kicked and thrown to the ground as well as having a chair thrown at one of them. Nine men have since been arrested over the attack.

Following the attack, many mainland internet users linked the Boy London brand with the gang member seen wearing the label’s T-shirt and blamed the company in part for the assault.

Warnings spread online advising people to: “Stay away from people who dress and look like this”. Among the features listed are “prison hairstyles”, referring to short-cropped hair, arm tattoos, golden necklaces, and specifically, a warning about people wearing Boy London T-shirts such as the one worn by a gang member with a gold eagle logo and the capital letters “BOY” printed on the front.

“At first sight, I can say a person wearing your T-shirt is not a good guy,” wrote one person on Weibo.

“Show us your customer profiles so we know how to identify them and avoid the dangers,” another user said.

Boy London has not issued a formal statement, but on its online shop at Tmall.com, a Chinese e-commerce platform, it has set up an automated reply to queries about the Tangshan attack stating: “We resolutely oppose the violence”.

Two women lie on the ground after being assaulted by a group of men outside a restaurant in the northeastern city of Tangshan, China, June 10, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Independent retail industry commentator Ma Gang told the National Business Daily that when public opinion reached a fever pitch, as in this case, it is very difficult for a brand to defend itself despite having no involvement in the attack.

“In circumstances like these it’s difficult for a brand to make its voice heard,” he said. “However, it’s not fair for the public to blame the maker of a consumer good worn by a criminal for their crimes.”

Witnesses criticised for not helping during attack

One person on Weibo criticised other patrons seen in the video standing by and doing nothing to stop the attack.

“What are those diners doing seeing such vicious violence and not intervening? Are they human beings?,” the person asked.

One eyewitness, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Dahe News that she couldn’t help crying after witnessing one of the women injured and bleeding during the attack.

When the woman rejected the man’s advances, he got into a physical fight with her and her friends. Then, the man and his companions beat and kicked the women, threw a chair, and dragged them outside the shop to continue the attack. Photo: Weibo

“My friend told me not to meddle in others’ business. I then called the police in tears,” she said.

She said she felt guilty for not helping the victim. “I should have asked other people in the restaurant to come together to help those girls,” she said.

On Sunday, the Tangshan municipal government launched what it called a “thunderstorm-style” crackdown on violent crimes in the wake of the attack. It encouraged the public to blow the whistle on gang fights, assaults and harassment of women, blackmail, gambling, illegal sex work, drug trafficking and phone scams, the People’s Daily reported.

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Some online commenters noted with irony that just days before the attack the Hebei provincial party secretary Ni Yuefeng told the All-China Women’s Federation secretary in a meeting that the province is working to protect women and safeguard their rights.

The federation’s publication the China Women’s Newspaper commented on Weibo after the restaurant attack: “They are so violent. Not only women, but other residents will feel a lack of security after seeing this attack.”

“We hope the local judicial authorities will work hard to punish those law violators seriously, so that the public, including women, can feel justice and a sense of safety.”

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