Two women fined after fight on train in Sichuan

Two women were fined after slapping each other on a train in Sichuan province, Chengdu Railway Police said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The case sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media over whether both deserved to be fined, as it seemed one of them might have been simply trying to defend herself.

The incident happened on May 2 on a train from Meishan to Chengdu in Sichuan. One of the women, surnamed Wang, was traveling alone while the other, surnamed Yang, was traveling with several people, including three children, according to the police, who released surveillance footage from the carriage and video recordings made by the train conductor.

Wang, who was sitting in front of Yang, stood up and turned around to tell the children to stop kicking the back of her seat and making noise, leading to an argument with Yang. Yang's travel companion then insulted Wang, who argued back, according to the statement.

As the situation escalated, the train conductor arrived to intervene and mediate. During the process, Wang once again started to verbally abuse Yang, who then slapped Wang in the face. Wang then slapped Yang back and again shortly after.

Wang reported the case to the police and posted about the event on social media. A police investigation initially concluded that the two parties were involved in a fight and had violated the Public Security Management Penalty Law by slapping each other in the face. Wang was given a fine of 200 yuan ($29) and Yang 500 yuan.

Wang said on social media on May 7 that she accepted the punishment but refused to reconcile with Yang and has applied for administrative reconsideration. The police statement on Wednesday upheld the previous punishment.

The result sparked heated debate online about whether fighting back after being hit should be considered illegal violent conduct.

Zhou Weifa, a lawyer from Beijing Hengdu Law Firm, said that Wang's act of slapping Yang in the face the first time can be considered self-defense because she was hit first.

But she soon slapped Yang again even when Yang took no further action. This was clearly intentional and violent, so the punishment is appropriate, Zhou said.

Chen Jun, a resident of Beijing, said she is glad that the police published the video footage because both parties previously withheld information about the incident that could be used against them.

"People supported Wang mainly because they cannot stand children misbehaving in public places while the parents turn a blind eye. But law enforcement is not about taking sides, it's about sticking to the facts," Chen said. "I hope parents can learn from the case and avoid disputes in the future by better educating their children."

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn