Nike fan first victim of rising tensions over maritime ruling

Tensions over an international tribunal's ruling on the South China Sea apparently claimed its first victim -- a mainlander who was attacked on an MTR train for allegedly being a traitor.

The attack took place on Monday, hours after an arbitration court in The Hague rejected China's claims to the disputed waters, news website HK01 reports.

It came on a through train as it pulled into the Xianlu station in Dalian when a man in red kicked and berated the victim after criticizing him for wearing a pair of Nike sports shoes, an iconic US sports brand popular in the mainland.

The US is seen in China as the strongest ally and protector of other South China Sea claimants including the Philippines, which brought the complaint before the arbitration panel.

Another passenger who was carrying a Nike backpack tried to leave after realizing he could be next only to become entangled in the fight.

Other passengers did not lift a finger to break it up, according to the report.

Instead, they egged the attacker on and joined him in mocking the victim.

But some netizens, weighing in after a clip of the incident went viral on social media, disagreed.

They said the attacker was not being patriotic by taking his anger out on an innocent man.

Others said he should be sent to the Nike headquarters in the US to glorify China.

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