A 70-year-old man was falsely accused of sexual harassment in public by a young girl. In a video, the girl sobs and demands to call the police, while the elderly man stands beside her looking panicked and confused. Many witnesses, swept up in the emotion, believed that the old man was “too old to behave like this” and collectively condemned him as a “pervert”.
The incident caused public outrage when the true nature of the event was revealed, showing that this was merely a cleverly staged act to “gain views”.
The Injustice Faced by the Elderly Man Wrongfully Accused of Inappropriate Behavior
Recently, social media in China has been buzzing with a video showing a girl crying and accusing an elderly man of sexual harassment. Specifically, while resting under a sunshade in front of a shopping mall waiting for his wife to buy something, the elderly man, over 70 years old, noticed a girl with a red backpack leaning against the umbrella pole, swaying back and forth. Concerned that the pole might fall, dragging the umbrella with it and posing a danger to the girl, he approached her and gently tugged her sleeve, advising her to step away.
To his surprise, as soon as he touched her sleeve, the girl reacted violently. She shouted: “Call the police! Call the police! This old man is groping me!” The scream shocked everyone around. The girl continued to yell: “He is harassing me! He is completely shameless!” While saying this, she took out her phone, pretending to call the police. The elderly man, panicked, retracted his hand and stepped back, looking bewildered. He was filled with a sense of injustice and confusion, as if wondering: “What did I do wrong?”.
The girl did not give the elderly man a chance to explain, continuing to point at her two friends and yelling: “Call the police! Call the police!” Just a few minutes later, she burst into tears, collapsing on the ground, continuously crying and claiming: “He harassed me!” Her voice was hoarse, and her expression showed profound anguish as if she had just endured the utmost injustice. This scene quickly drew the attention of the crowd, and those unaware of the situation began to direct their anger towards the elderly man.
The curious crowd grew larger. Many people took out their phones to film and take pictures of the elderly man. Some hurled insults: “At your age, you still do this, it’s truly shameful!”. Others angrily shouted: “Call the police! He should be put in jail!” The elderly man trembled, waving his hands and stammering: “I didn’t grope her… I was just afraid she would fall…”.
The elderly man’s explanations were drowned out by the girl’s cries. He wanted to speak, but his weakened voice, compounded by the stress, made him even more flustered. He tried to escape the suffocating circle but was held back by the girl’s friends and some bystanders. “Don’t even think about running away! You did something bad, and now you want to escape?” Some even reached out to block his way. The elderly man was left with no choice but to pace back and forth, filled with confusion. At this moment, his dignity was completely trampled.
A Lesson in Caution Regarding Information on Social Media
As public opinion leaned heavily to one side, the full video of the incident was released. This video enraged netizens as what had been circulated before was only the tip of the iceberg, while the reality behind it was far more disturbing.
The full video showed that initially, the girl was not crying at all. She and her two friends stood there smiling, occasionally kicking their legs and giggling. When there was no one around, they exchanged glances as if waiting for the right moment.
It was only when there were many people around that the girl began to change her expression, collapsing on the ground crying and continuously accusing the elderly man of harassment. Notably, her two friends not only did not intervene but also laughed uncontrollably. When the crowd gathered, they immediately positioned themselves as “witnesses” and accused the elderly man of “groping the girl”. They even said: “Posting this online will definitely cause a storm.” This sudden change in attitude sent shivers down viewers’ spines.
This is clearly a well-organized setup rather than a spontaneous act. One netizen commented after watching the full video: “What you see is just one-third of the video; the details behind it are even more thrilling.”
After being investigated and reported by many media outlets, the truth finally came to light: the elderly man was merely trying to kindly warn the girl to stay away from a dangerous area but was wrongfully accused. Xinhua News Agency confirmed the innocence of the elderly man, effectively closing the farcical act. However, for the elderly man, the moments of public humiliation are hard to recover from.
The elderly man’s family reported that after the incident, he became more withdrawn and his spirits were depressed. Even more outrageously, after the truth was revealed, the girl and her group did not apologize but left as if nothing had happened. Their actions not only destroyed the dignity of another person but also tore apart the trust between individuals in public spaces.
A lawyer commented: “Deliberately defaming and causing public disorder constitutes a violation of the law and needs to be dealt with severely.” Netizens expressed their outrage not only in defense of the elderly man but also out of concern that if such behavior goes unpunished, many more innocent people may become victims. Some bluntly remarked: “These people are a cancer in society. Today they dare to defame the elderly, tomorrow they will dare to defame children!”.
The arbitrary act of using words to push others into the abyss by the girl who falsely accused the elderly man is truly condemnable. They showed no concern for another person’s innocence, blindly satisfying their emotions or personal goals. However, the consequence is that the dignity, and even the lives, of others are destroyed.
The story of the elderly man serves as a warning for everyone. When faced with accusations from a “victim”, one should not rush to conclusions but should investigate thoroughly, avoiding being swept up by the crowd. Surveillance cameras and videos can reveal the truth, but who will heal the wounds in the elderly man’s heart? The truth has been uncovered, but who will soothe the pain in the elderly man’s heart? If there were no cameras, no full video, the lifelong reputation of this man could have been ruined by just a few words from a girl.
According to 163.com