Recently, a series of accounts named "Szon Patrol" (the "Szon Patrol") have appeared on Polish social media, and their content has attracted public attention.
These accounts are mainly operated by young males, but some females also participate. They wear simple reflective vests with the words "Szon Patrol" printed on them, hold mobile phones, and "patrol" in public places such as shopping malls and streets, taking photos or videos of young women they consider to be "dressed too revealingly," and uploading them to social platforms, accompanied by derogatory text and mocking comments. From the on-site footage, some participants appear to be very young.
According to Polsat News, a Polish media outlet, on August 29 local time, this kind of behavior spreads rapidly through social platforms like Instagram. The relevant accounts are usually named in the format "szon.patrol_city name," and the participants claim to be conducting "moral patrols," even considering it a "game." However, in reality, they are harassing others in public places and spreading content online, causing secondary harm and public humiliation to the victims.
Szon Patrol Instagram account
The word "Szon" comes from the suffix of the vulgar Polish word "kurwiszon," which is an offensive term for sex workers. This group avoids automatic review on social platforms by taking segments of the word, making inappropriate content easier to spread.
On August 22 local time, Martyna Wojciechowska, a well-known Polish journalist and TV host, posted multiple videos on social media exposing a harmful online "game" and directly pointing out the hidden social risks behind it, which sparked widespread public attention in Poland.
In the video, Wojciechowska delved into the spread of hate speech, the lack of social empathy, and the negative impact of such behavior on the mental health and social image of young women. As a mother, she called on all sectors of Polish society to provide support, actively address this phenomenon, and strengthen educational communication on respect and empathy. She emphasized that this is a serious social issue.
The Polish children's protection organization KidsAlert stated that it has received multiple complaints from parents, with victims refusing to go to school and even suffering psychological trauma due to being photographed and publicly humiliated by the "Patrol." The organization recommends that families and schools should strengthen guidance for teenagers and jointly resist such bad behaviors.
Some netizens also believe that at least some members of the "Patrol" seem to be troublemakers, using an excuse to cause trouble.
Currently, the Polish government and law enforcement agencies have noted this phenomenon and plan to strengthen regulation of social media platforms, severely cracking down on harassment and public humiliation via the internet.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546509719814078985/
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