‘Stop Indifference’

The horrifying video of a toddler being struck by a van and left bleeding in the streets of Foshan, China, this week, ignored by several passersby, has become a rallying cry for Chinese netizens to “stop indifference.”

On the microblogging services QQ and Sina Weibo, tens of thousands of people chimed in Tuesday to call for an end to indifference among Chinese to their fellow humans, and in some cases even animals. By midday, more than 150,000 posts had gone up with the hashtag for “stop indifference,” with people decrying the scene in Foshan and pleaded for changes in Chinese society. The two-year-old’s plight is the latest and perhaps most horrifying example of Chinese hit-and-run accidents, where onlookers refuse to get involved perhaps out of fear of becoming responsible for financial costs.

The child’s mother has posted online that she remains in critical condition. She was lifted off the street after a garbage collector noticed the girl and called for help.