Risks for good Samaritans

The tragedy in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province, where a 35-year-old woman was beaten to death by six members of a religious cult on May 28, aroused hot debate online, with some people harshly criticizing the customers and members of staff in the fast food restaurant where the attack took place for not stepping in to help the woman.

Such criticism is unfair because this would have put these people's lives at risk as well, says a People's Daily column.

Faced with six deadly attackers, the people in the Zhaoyuan restaurant made the right choice by not physically intervening and instead calling the police. Still braver is the female manager of the McDonald's where the killing took place, who tried twice to halt violence. These people, especially the manager, deserve praise not blame, as the video of the incident released by the police shows the customers in the restaurant being threatened with violence if they attempt to help the woman.