HONG KONG: Insurance giant AIA has suspended an employee allegedly linked to a viral altercation which took place at a Hong Kong shopping centre this week, after a young girl was slapped by an elderly woman.
Videos circulating on social media showed the elderly woman shoving the girl before slapping her across the face – causing her to fall on the ground.
The dispute took place on Wednesday (Aug 26) afternoon in the atrium of APM shopping mall, located in Kwun Tong district on Kowloon, reported The South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Police were later called to the scene, local media reports said. Three women, identified as the elderly woman, 68, her 34-year-old daughter as well as the girl’s mother, were arrested, reports added.
All three were charged on Aug 27 with fighting in a public place and are due to appear in court on Sep 3, SCMP said.
The incident sparked widespread backlash online, with internet users exposing and circulating the 34-year-old woman’s personal details, including her name, profession, details of her social media accounts, as well as the address of the AIA Hong Kong office where she reportedly worked at.
Responding to Hong Kong media outlets, AIA confirmed on Aug 27 that the individual in question had been suspended from duties while established internal procedures were carried out.
“AIA Hong Kong has strict requirements regarding the conduct of its financial planning consultants and does not condone any form of violence,” the company said, adding that it is actively reviewing the incident and would take appropriate follow-up actions in accordance with its regulatory framework.
Lawyers have also warned that social media users risked committing the criminal offence of doxxing by disclosing others’ personal information and causing them harm.
“There’s a chance that those who disclosed the mother’s background could fall foul of doxxing as the disclosure had caused specific harm to the mother, including psychological harm,” said lawyer Vincent Chong Yip-fung, in comments carried by SCMP, adding that social media users should refrain from disclosing other people’s personal information.
AIA has since disabled comments across its social media channels following online backlash over the incident.