A heavy wave of online criticism has erupted after a group of internet users flooded a hotel — the accommodation where the Italian youths at the centre of the BTS Skytrain behaviour drama were staying — with 1-star reviews, raising questions about whether such action constitutes bullying of operators and staff who had nothing to do with the incident.
The controversy stems from a video clip circulated on social media showing a group of Italian students visiting Thailand who made loud noise disturbing passengers on the BTS Skytrain. When a Thai passenger approached them to complain, they responded rudely; a male Italian student made sexually threatening gestures in retaliation, and some of the Italian students taunted the passenger with remarks such as "Sorry for bringing money to your country," before a verbal argument broke out. The group then exited the train and flipped their middle fingers, sparking widespread criticism among Thai netizens over the rude behaviour of the Italian tourists — a story that has already been reported.
Today (26 Jul.), following the outbreak of what is being called a misplaced online mob attack, a group of internet users has been flooding the hotel where the Italian youths stayed with 1-star reviews, prompting heavy questioning and criticism over whether this amounts to bullying of uninvolved operators and their staff.
The trend gained further traction when a user under the account "Pook Sukonta Berthebaud" — known as Sorpook, who regularly comes forward to summarise news and share opinions on hot-button issues — posted about the case, stating that Thai netizens are bombarding the hotel where the rowdy Italian kids stayed with 1-star reviews, even though the hotel did nothing wrong, and that most of the staff are Thai people who are deeply upset but do not dare to speak up and demand justice because they fear the backlash will only get worse.
At the same time, the popular page Drama-addict shared the post along with a message warning internet users that this action is not only unreasonable but also carries serious legal risks. The page noted that the hotel had no involvement in or wrongdoing related to the incident, and stressed that mass-posting 1-star reviews without having actually used the service constitutes "fake reviewing." It cited past cases in which business operators have sued people who bombarded them with reviews of this kind, with the perpetrators found guilty in both civil and criminal proceedings.
The incident has become an important lesson in the online world — regarding the impact on innocent Thai staff who became victims through no fault of their own, the damage to a business's revenue and credibility, and as a reminder that acting on emotion on social media without restraint can ultimately lead to lawsuits.
