Zhou Xiaoxuan, a former intern at state broadcaster CCTV, speaks outside a courthouse in Beijing yesterday
A Chinese woman was shoved by antagonistic bystanders as she headed to court yesterday in one of the few remaining #MeToo cases from a tamped-down movement whose legacy remains uncertain.
Zhou Xiaoxuan, a former intern at Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, became the face of the country’s #MeToo movement after going public with accusations against a prominent CCTV host in 2018. Since then, the movement has been largely shut down by authorities as activists found their online posts censored and faced pressure from authorities when trying to hold protests, but Zhou has continued to speak out.
“I’m very thankful for everyone, whether we win or lose, I’m very honored to have experienced these last three years,” Zhou said to reporters outside the court, as unidentified men and women came up and tried to push her along.
One woman yelled “pandemic safety,” trying to prevent Zhou from speaking, while a man questioned whether it was appropriate for her to speak alone.
A transgender woman who tried to hold up a sign saying “Standing Together” was quickly surrounded by police and had the sign ripped out of her hand. She said later that police then asked for her national identification number.
The hearing was the final one in a lawsuit brought by Zhou against CCTV host Zhu Jun, whom she accuses of groping and forcibly kissing her in 2014. She is asking for a public apology as well as 50,000 yuan ($7,600) in damages.
While the movement no longer has protests and lawyers and others helping victims take legal action, some people are still pushing to get justice for victims of sexual violence, even if they do not cite the #MeToo label.
A series of sexual assault and rape accusations in recent weeks has drawn national attention. The most prominent was an accusation of sexual assault made by an Alibaba employee against two men. Chinese-Canadian singer Kris Wu was also arrested in Beijing on suspicion of rape over accusations made online.
In August, accusations posted online by victims led separately to the detention of a math teacher on charges of forcible molestation and the firing of a popular TV host at Hunan Television. Shanghai police, who initially declined to press charges in the latter case, have said they have reopened the investigation.
“These incidents are a part of #MeToo, without a doubt,” said Lu Pin, the founder of Feminist Voices, an online publication that was shut down by censors in 2018. “Without #MeToo, it’s impossible to imagine these types of things coming out.”
After the #MeToo movement swept China defined sexual harassment in the civil code, a massive effort approved in 2020 that organized civil laws and promised certain rights to citizens.
Still, victims of sexual violence face legal and social obstacles to seeking justice.
Zhou’s case lingered in the dockets for two years before a Beijing court agreed to hear it last December. The second part of the hearing, originally scheduled for May, was canceled on the day by the court.
A few dozen supporters came yesterday to support Zhou, though many kept their distance because of the large number of police. Many police were in plainclothes and stood on the street filming. HUIZHONG WU & SAM McNEIL, BEIJING, MDT/AP
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