A social media influencer in India is getting slammed for posting a TikTok of himself acting out what appears to be an acid attack against a woman.
In the video, TikTok star Faizal Siddiqui reportedly acts out threatening a woman for wanting to leave him for another man. The video then shows him throwing some sort of liquid on a woman who is later seen crying and wearing makeup that looks like burn marks, according to Business Insider.
People stormed Twitter to denounce the video. Many called for the TikTok to be taken down and for authorities to investigate the influencer, who has 13.4 million followers on the video platform.
“Acid attack is being proudly promoted on TikTok. We want Faizal Siddiqui [to] be arrested immediately,” one Twitter user wrote.
The influencer responded to the opposition on Instagram. He defended his video, saying the woman is a professional makeup artist, and the video was “art.” Siddiqui said his video “in no way represents a victim of an acid attack.”
The influencer also got defensive about the fact that the video was posted about a month ago and that it just now is being criticized. However, he said, he decided to take down the video.
“My intention was never to hurt anyone in any capacity,” the influencer wrote on Instagram. “As a social media influencer, I realize my responsibility and apologize to anyone who was offended by the video.”
But some said that the apology was insufficient. They pointed out that this isn’t the first time he’s posted a video that depicts violence against women. One Twitter user found a TikTok of Siddiqui pretending to have hit a woman who rejected him.
“This is for everyone who is telling that the guy is just drinking water and that’s not an acid attack,” Twitter user @Ish_fish wrote. “This is the same guy in the video. Please stop normalizing violence against women if they reject your romantic advances.”
Advocates for women in India are sharing the video with police and TikTok India to call for more restrictions against videos promoting violence against women, according to Business Insider.
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H/T Business Insider