Two men are facing assault charges after allegedly attacking a man whose image was posted on social media website Facebook, labelling him a paedophile.
Central Otago Police are warning social media users not to name and shame, following the alleged assault, which has seen the two men arrested and facing common assault charges.
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Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron of Queenstown said users of social media were not exempt from criminal charges, simply because they were acting online.
He said incitement by users of social media sites like Facebook was taken seriously by police, and punitive action would be taken where appropriate.
Dunedin Collaboration Against Family Violence Coordinator Rob Thomson agreed that taking your anger out on someone would not make the problem go away.
"Assaulting someone because you feel angry won't teach them anything," Mr Thomson said.
Two men have been remanded on bail to appear in court at a later date.
