A video showing an Israeli tourist pushing a Sri Lankan tour guide off a boat and into the sea has triggered widespread outrage on social media. The disturbing footage captures a group of tourists laughing and recording the incident as the guide falls into the water.
A video showing an Israeli tourist pushing a Sri Lankan tour guide off a boat and into the sea has triggered widespread outrage on social media. The disturbing footage captures a group of tourists laughing and recording the incident as the guide falls into the water. The controversy intensified after the people involved defended their actions, describing the incident as a joke.
The video, originally shared by the X account RT, shows a group of tourists sitting aboard a boat with a Sri Lankan tour guide beside them. The woman appears to be drinking water when one of the tourists suddenly pushes her over the side and into the sea. The person recording the incident and other passengers are seen laughing as she falls into the water.
The RT post, shared on November 8, carried the caption: "ISRAELI tourists FILM themselves PUSHING SRI LANKAN worker OFF BOAT and INTO WATER — LAUGHING Say 'IT WAS a JOKE' and they didn't 'MEAN TO BE MEAN' 'We're ENLISTING in a MONTH. We're GOOD KIDS. We don't deserve this HATE'" 'It Was A Joke':
Watch the viral video here:
Tourists Defend Their Actions
Israeli journalist Daniel Amram subsequently shared a response from the young people involved. According to his post, the group maintained that the guide knew about the prank and that they had no intention of humiliating her.
"The young people involved in the incident in Sri Lanka respond: 'It was a joke, the worker is fine, it wasn't meant to be mean,'" Amram wrote.
The group also reportedly said: "We're enlisting in a month. We're good kids; we don't deserve this hate."
Video Triggers Social Media Backlash
Their explanation did little to calm the criticism. Several social media users questioned how pushing someone into the sea could be considered harmless entertainment.
Some criticised the group's apparent sense of entitlement, while others highlighted the power imbalance between tourists and local workers. The incident has also raised questions about the guide's consent and whether she was comfortable participating in the alleged prank.
The guide's own account has not been made public in the report. The tourists' claims that she was unharmed and had agreed to the joke have not been independently verified.
The viral video continues to fuel debate over tourist behaviour and the treatment of local workers.
