A man has been filmed shouting at a crying toddler and his Mandarin-speaking mother on an East Rail Line MTR train whilst shaking the baby’s pram. The video has been circulating on social media this week, prompting some netizens to comment on the man’s over-reaction, while others criticised the mother for lacking consideration.
The toddler was bawling continuously for four stops, Mr Tsang, who took the video, told Apple Daily. “He [the man who was filmed] did not need to take such actions, but he had already asked, very nicely. Then he snapped and couldn’t control [himself],” he added.
It triggered a debate on social media about mainland visitors’ behaviour in public places, a recurring subject among Hong Kong netizens. One said, “he is a stranger and I wouldn’t let him touch my kid.” Another commented: “Every kid cries but crying continuously for four stops is a bit much. It’s psychological abuse.”
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Posted by 現場 － 蘋果突發 on Thursday, 4 February 2016
Last year, a photo showing a mother helping a child urinate on an MTR train circulated on Facebook, causing many netizens to comment that they are “uncivilised mainlanders”, Oriental Daily reported.
In 2012, a mainland mother and her children eating cup noodles on an MTR train led to a quarrel between the mother and a passenger who told her off. The incident triggered a mainland-Hong Kong squabble, with netizens from both sides hurling abuse at each other.
Peking University professor Kong Qingdong said on television that Hong Kong people are “dogs”, causing a public protest against his remarks. This deepened the anti-mainland sentiment, which had already been growing due to issues such as mainland mothers’ giving birth in Hong Kong.
