I recently saw the news that Luo Xiang was forced to delete posts, and it really upset me. A criminal law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, being pushed to yield and retreat in an environment of online mobbing, reflects far more than just his personal ordeal.

It makes me think that over the years, Luo Xiang has been doing legal education work—explaining legal concepts in plain terms. But now, even such efforts have been crushed by online public opinion. I think that is truly heartbreaking—not because of Luo Xiang himself, but because it shows the broader society’s attitude toward legal professionals and toward the law itself.

Law and morality are often confused, but in fact, they have clear boundaries at the legal level. For example, the concept of “public order and good morals” is the law’s formal definition of morality. But in many cases, online public opinion takes moral coercion as justice, and instead tramples on the professional spirit of legal professionals.

Take “murder” as an example. When a judge issues a sentence, they must independently assess whether the act was “intentional” or “negligent,” and then consider other circumstances. If the victim violates public order and good morals, that can even become a basis for mitigating punishment. The judgment in the Wu Song case in history was made based on legal logic like this.

But the problem now is that many people separate morality from law, and even use moral coercion to negate legal procedures. This is actually a shallow understanding of the law. If legal professionals are forced into silence, and if the law is no longer respected, the backlash will ultimately come for those who are shouting the loudest right now. Because in a society without legal protection, no one is safe.

So seeing a situation like Luo Xiang’s, I think it’s worth everyone reflecting: do we truly respect the law? Or are we just using the name of law to lend credibility to our moral verdicts?