A Metro Passenger In Taiwan Kicked An Elderly Woman After A Fight Over The Priority Seat, Sparking A Debate
People were divided, with some blaming the younger passenger for being violent and others saying the elderly woman deserved it for not respecting others.
A fight over a priority seat on the metro in Taipei, Taiwan has gone viral after a passenger kicked an older woman across the carriage, sparking a nationwide debate over respect, violence and public space.
The incident happened on Monday, Sept. 29, on one of the busiest metro lines in the capital, Taipei.
The video shared online showed an elderly woman, later identified as a 73-year-old surnamed Tseng, confronting a younger passenger seated in a priority seat even though other seats in the carriage were vacant.
When the passenger refused to move, Tseng hit them twice with her handbag.
The passenger then handed their shopping bag to another passenger, stood up and kicked Tseng, sending her tumbling onto the row of seats on the other side of the carriage.
After a user shared the moment on Threads with the caption, “I also don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong,” the video quickly went viral, gaining more than 5.6 million views.
People were divided, with some blaming the younger passenger for being violent and others saying the elderly woman deserved it for not respecting others.
Some people said the video was oddly satisfying, while others joked, “Well, she did help the old lady sit down.”
It quickly sparked memes and even AI-generated videos imagining different interactions between the two passengers.
Metro staff later boarded the train after being alerted through the intercom, and police later confirmed they had opened an investigation, even though neither passenger filed a complaint.
Priority seats in Taiwan were originally reserved for the elderly, disabled, pregnant people and those with children.
But after several incidents of people fighting over the seats, lawmakers amended the regulation in July to define them instead as seats for “anyone in need.”
Two days later, police arrested Tseng at a convenience store on a separate arrest warrant over theft.
Authorities said Tseng has a history of theft and confronting passengers sitting in priority seats.
Taipei police have said they are investigating the incident.
More On Taiwan
Flavie Chen
Kassy Cho
