Man arrested and held for nine days for sending 'insulting' police meme
The local authorities were not in the mood to LOL.
There's nothing quite as fun as having a good laugh.
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However, some jokes are obviously funnier than others and not everyone will find the same things equally hilarious.
But even when you don't think something is funny, arresting someone for making an innocent joke seems like a bit of an overreaction.
Albeit not impossible.
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CNN has reported that a man in China, identified only by his surname Li, had been detained by local authorities when he sent a meme that they were not impressed with.
Li had sent a meme in a group chat on the social media platform WeChat where he had been complaining about local COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
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Police in the city of Qingtongxia had posted a screenshot of the meme on Chinese social media but then removed the post, but not before it grabbed the attention of a large group of people who thought Li's punishment was uncalled for and that the innocent joke was no justification for the punishment he had received.
The police considered the meme to be insulting as it depicted a dog dressed in a police uniform, holding a police badge and pointing at the camera. The police had received a tip that said Li had sent an image "insulting the image of police" when they decided to launch an investigation.
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The police found him guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and his punishment was nine days of detention.
You can see the meme in question below:
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While we would never condone bullying of any kind, we're pretty sure we have received some South African memes in a few groups that could get a few people in trouble.
But that's a story for another day...
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Main image courtesy of iStock/BrianAJackson