Attacks on Chinese student at Paris metro stirs concerns

Girls who were with the White girl when she punched Fangfang on the metro. [Photo/weibo]

While another user named Misuchiru said: "There are villains everywhere", and cited his experience in Canada as an example in response to some Internet users showing their bias toward France, as one named Mifenglai said: "My impression of Paris is getting worse and worse".

A user named Longxiaoyue said: "I suggest Fangfang drive a car instead of taking metros, since most low-paid people take metros and the low-paid people are prone to do harm to social stability."

Another Chinese student surnamed Li, who studies at Université Panthéon-Assas, said: "Indeed, I heard some Chinese were humiliated in France, but most French people are kind" during an interview with Legal Evening News.

Li thought what happened on Fangfang rarely happens and suggested Chinese people should interact with local people more and let the latter better understand them to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Li also gave her advice as far as robbery is concerned. "To avoid being robbed, Chinese people should not show off wealth and go out alone at night," said Li.

Besides Li, Pierre Piccard, a China Expert in Université de Paris VIII, said what happened to Fangfang has something to do with the current economic and social conditions in France, during his interview with Legal Evening News.

"France has become an object of terrorist attack, which made some French repulse foreigners. Moreover, since economic conditions in France and even in whole Europe are not that positive, many French think foreigners coming to France make their income and business worse, " said Piccard.

Piccard also said some French have many misunderstandings about Chinese people, though Chinese studying and living in France nowadays are better integrated into local community.

In early days, some Chinese came to France to avoid war and they lived a poor life, which made French see Chinese people in a biased way, while in the 1980s, many Chinese people made big money through doing business in France, which made locals blame their worsening life on these Chinese.

"The wrong attitude of some French people needs a change," added Piccard.