Viral 'bullying' clip act of plain mischief: Hwa Chong International School

It may have been filmed as a joke, but a recent viral video of an alleged bully telling his victim to laugh certainly did not amuse netizens.

There was "no malice intended" in the case of a boy who was filmed taunting and beating up a fellow student in a toilet, Hwa Chong International School (HCIS) clarified in a statement this morning (Oct 12), adding that the clip in question is over a year old.

The 50-second video had set tongues wagging after it surfaced on Facebook page Heartlanders on Friday (Oct 9).

In the clip, which was captioned "si ginna (naughty child) bully classmate", one student was shown pushing another boy towards a mirror in a toilet.

Holding the boy by the shoulders, he then told him to "laugh at yourself" and "laugh like hell".

The boy complied, but the alleged bully proceeded to punch his back. As the victim struggled, the other boy grabbed his neck and kicked him.

The video appears to have been removed from Heartlanders. However, screengrabs of the video have continued to circulate online.

In a statement released on its Facebook and Instagram pages today, HCIS thanked parents and alumni for their concern and explained that its investigation showed that the video was taken out of "plain mischief".

"We will continue to educate the boys involved and provide the necessary counselling support.

"Thank you to all for your trust in the school's educational focus on student learning and development, and supporting us on the closure of this case."

HCIS is a member of the Hwa Chong family of schools, which also includes Hwa Chong Institution and Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/hwachong.internationalschool/posts/3609185315810259[/embed]

kimberlylim@asiaone.com