MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of netizens in Mexico lambasted authorities on social media after officials blames a young woman's murder on her lifestyle.
The overwhelming reaction has already led officials to respond by removing the offending Tweets, which described the 22-year-old victim as a college drop-out who abused drugs and alcohol.
According to local media, the victim was strangled on Wednesday night with a telephone cord on the campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
After the victim's body was found, Mexico City's Attorney General's Office, responsible for investigating murder cases in the capital city, turned its focus on the victim herself.
It posted on Twitter a barrage of negative information, including that "her mother and boyfriend said she had not studied since 2014," and that she and her boyfriend had met earlier in the day with friends to "drink and do drugs."
Soon netizens were responding with the hashtag #IfTheyKillMe, followed by the many, often inane, reasons authorities might use to justify the crime.
"#IfTheyKillMe it's because I like to walk alone at night, drink beer, smoke and tattoos," one Twitter user posted.
Another said, "#IfTheyKillMe they'll say it was because I was very flirtatious, because I traveled alone with my friends or because I said NO when he wanted me to say yes."
Well-known personalities also voiced their disagreement.
Journalist and writer Lydia Cacho wrote "#IfTheyKillMe the voice of the attacker or the 'witness' will be the one to judge me without scientific evidence. The authorities will have a summary trial because I am a woman."
Following the torrent of online criticism, Attorney General Rodolfo Rios ordered the removal of the "inappropriate" Tweets and issued an apology.
On Friday, students, teachers and university employees marched to protest violence against women at UNAM.
