Hanoi boy's genitals slammed into flagpole by schoolmates

A video footage spanning 17 seconds was circulating on social media on Monday, showing a male student being carried by five schoolmates: four of them holding his limbs and one holding his hand. The schoolmates lifted him up and slammed his genitals into a flagpole in the schoolyard repeatedly. The victim could not retaliate, while several other students could be seen watching.

Doan Vu Hai, principal of the Hoa Nam Secondary Cchool in Ung Hoa District, said the incident happened at the school on Nov. 8, but the school's leaders only knew about it on Nov. 24. Hai said six students were involved in the case, including one recording the video clip. All the involved students were in 8th grade.

"This is a friend group that often hangs out with each other, and there were no prior conflicts," Hai said.

The school had informed the police about the matter for an investigation. The six students were suspended, with one suspended for two weeks and the others for one week, starting Monday.

The mother of the victim said they were the friend group of her son, and what happened was them playing with one another. The victim did not suffer from any health consequences, but he was mentally affected by how the video went viral online.

"I hope for the incident to die down so my child can focus on school," she said.