Footage showing several men attacking women at a restaurant in Tangshan City has sparked outrage on Chinese social media, prompting state media calls for punishment for the perpetrators as well as a review of women's protection policies.

Camera footage shows a man entering a barbeque restaurant around 2:40 a.m. and passing by a woman who is sitting and eating along with two other women. The man is seen approaching one of them and placing his hand on her back, before she removes it.

After the woman's resistance, the man responds by hitting her in the face. Then, a fight begins between the two. The woman tries to pull him away by trying to hit him with a glass bottle. Camera footage shows the woman's friends trying to stop the quarrel, but end up being beaten by the man as well as a group of other men entering the restaurant.

In the video, women are seen being punched, kicked, caught and dragged by their hair to the ground.

After the video became public, Tangshan police issued a statement Friday afternoon saying they had identified the suspects and were looking for them. The nine people were arrested, local police said in a statement Saturday.

The violent scenes sparked a national protest over the safety of women. The incident was widely discussed on Chinese social networks over the weekend and caused public outrage. Some people online are questioning the safety of women in China, while others are discussing systematic violence against women.

Authorities ordered the criminal investigation into the case relocated to Langfang, a separate city in Hebei province. Such a decision usually occurs when the investigation is important.

Sources: CNN, Reuters