Assault on foreign worker sparks debate in Saudi Arabia

A video of a Saudi man beating a foreign petrol-pump attendant with a stick has gone viral and sparked debates over the treatment of foreign workers in the Gulf country.

The video has been seen by thousands of people and inspired the hashtag #شاب_يضرب_عامل [#man_hits_worker].

"When we raise our children to view that foreigners (workers) as inferior human beings - you will see such disasters!" tweeted Khalid Abd al-Aziz, a law student from Riyadh.

In the video, the pump attendant fills the car up and tries to elicit payment through the car window, before opening the car door when he is apparently ignored.

The owner of the vehicle then gets out of the car and hits the worker around the head before retrieving a rod from his car to batter the man.

Saudi police sources told The New Arab they had arrested the assailant and were investigating the incident.

The vast majority of Saudi social media users have condemned the act of violence and have started discussions about how foreign workers are seen.