French police have launched an investigation after a South Korean woman was attacked by a local man while live-streaming in southern France, in an incident which has reignited debate on anti-Asian racism and sexism in Europe as well as the safety of live-streamers worldwide.
Yoo Yoon-jinn, a content creator who goes by the online name of Jinnytty and has more than 1.1 million subscribers, was live-streaming her walk around Toulouse on May 7 when a man on an electric scooter pulled up behind her.
In the viral video, the man can be seen running up to her without warning, slapping away her camera and shouting: “What are you filming? You dirty Chinese woman. Get lost, you filthy whore.”
He then flees the scene, leaving a visibly shaken Yoo behind. “What just happened?” she says to the camera. “He’s not a thief, he’s just a crazy guy. I wasn’t filming him, I was filming my own face. This is a public space.”
Yoo’s viewers urged her to report the incident but she was reluctant to involve the police. “I don’t think they can do anything,” she said, according to Yahoo news channel.
However, the clip spread quickly online and sparked global outrage. Support poured in for Yoo, especially from the French apologising for the man’s actions and vowing to ask for justice on her behalf.
