A group claiming to defend the monarchy allegedly assaulted a man they accused of insulting the royal institution, with footage of the confrontation spreading on social media yesterday, July 22.
The footage shows members of the group surrounding the man before repeatedly shouting, “Why did you insult the King?” and telling others they had found the man.
The confrontation escalated when members of the group restrained the man and forced him to sit on the ground. The footage shows several people repeatedly punching, kneeing and elbowing him, while others pinned him down by placing their feet on his face and body.
Others at the scene can be heard trying to defuse the situation but were unable to stop the assault.
The video spread quickly across social media, where users were divided over the group’s actions. While many condemned the assault as vigilante violence, others supported the attackers, with some arguing the beating was justified because of the lèse-majesté allegations.
People’s Party MP for Chon Buri’s 7th constituency, Sahassawat Khumkong, later commented on the incident and said violence should never be used against people with differing views, regardless of opinions about the monarchy.
He said no citizen had the right to act as a judge or police officer, arguing that if someone had committed an offence, it should be handled through the justice system rather than vigilante violence.
“Ideas should be challenged with reason, while wrongdoing should be judged according to the law, not with fists,” he said, warning that accepting violence simply because the perpetrators were on one’s own side would ultimately harm society.
The story Video shows royalists beating man accused of insulting monarchy as seen on Thaiger News.
