Royalist threatens to hit woman chewing popcorn during royal anthem

A Thai royalist has threatened to hit a woman in the head for chewing popcorn while the Thai royal anthem was playing in a cinema.

Kapook.com on Saturday, 6 August 2016, posted a video which has been shared virally on ‘YouLike (คลิปเด็ด)’. The video clip ‘Almost getting hit in the head for chewing popcorn’ is from a Facebook account named ‘Senerys Targaryens’.

The person who posted the clip reported that on Friday, while she was in a cinema with her family, a man sitting on the same row threatened to hit her in the head.

“If you were not a woman, I would have hit you in the head a while ago,” said the man.

The woman was stunned by these words and asked the man who he meant. She later told the man that they had better talk once the movie was ended.

After the movie ended, they had a heated exchange over the incident.

The man argued that he was angry over the fact that she was chewing popcorn while standing for the royal anthem in the cinema before he decided to walk away.

Many Facebook users commented on the video clip. Those who disapproved of the man’s action said that he was too hot-tempered while those who disapproved of the woman’s behaviour said that she should have waited until the royal anthem ended to eat popcorn.

In Thailand, standing to pay respect for the Thai monarchy during the royal anthem in cinemas is a must.

In 2008, Ratchapin Chancharoen was arrested and charged under the notorious Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, for refusing to stand for the royal anthem in a cinema. Other cinema-doers were angered by her action and shouted abusive words at her before reporting the incident to the police.

The lèse majesté law states "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent shall be punished (with) imprisonment of three to fifteen years."

An image from the video clip of the heated exchange between the two at a cinema posted on 6 August 2016

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