In Sichuan, Jiangyou residents peacefully protest the authorities’ protection of bullies, but the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deployed police from other regions to violently suppress and arrest them, causing global concern.
This Tuesday (5th), overseas democracy organizations took the lead in launching a solidarity action, with a large number of Chinese residents in Los Angeles gathering in front of the Chinese Consulate to express their anger.
At noon on the 5th, the protesters outside the Consulate chanted slogans such as “Support the people of Jiangyou, stop bullying children,” “Restore democracy,” “Reject bullying,” attracting many onlookers and photographers among those coming to the Consulate for business. Some even raised their fists and shouted in solidarity. The participants stated that they sympathize with the reasons for the Jiangyou residents’ protest.
The incident originated on July 22 in Jiangyou, Sichuan, where a 14-year-old female student was surrounded, assaulted, verbally abused, and coerced to film a humiliating video by three underage girls inside an abandoned building, which shocked the nation and sparked public outrage after it was exposed. Despite the victim reporting the incident to the police that same evening, the authorities only administratively corrected two of the perpetrators on the 4th, without bringing criminal charges, leading to public dissatisfaction.
On the evening of the 4th, in Beijing time, a large number of Jiangyou residents gathered in front of the city government to protest the light judgment by the police. They shouted slogans demanding “severe punishment for the perpetrators” and “down with the Communist Party.” Late at night, a large number of special police and armed police forces were dispatched by the authorities to forcibly clear the site, resulting in police chasing the people, physical conflicts erupting, and many protesters being beaten with batons and taken away in police vehicles; the authorities even used trucks to transport the people.
Chairman Jie Lijian of the China Democratic Party International Alliance condemned the CCP at the rally. He stated that when ordinary people’s children are beaten, forced into life-threatening situations, “the officials in the Jiangyou Political and Legal Affairs Committee shield each other, the children of the Zhao family can escape the legal consequences and sanctions.”
He pointed out that the Jiangyou residents only made reasonable demands, but the CCP’s way of handling it was through “the oppression and suppression with high-pressure water cannons, batons, and pepper spray.” “Today we support Jiangyou, support our children, defend freedom, defend democracy, we must express our outrage at the CCP, shout together with our compatriots in China: Jiangyou, keep going! We wholeheartedly support Jiangyou!”
Participating in the rally, Liu Yinqun, Chairman of the Chinese Social Democratic Party, believes that the Jiangyou incident truly reflects the plight of the Chinese people: “The Communist Party does not represent the people at all. They always say they ‘serve the people,’ but they represent the interests of the privileged, treating the people as leeks, human mines, slaves, they want to ruthlessly suppress and exploit the people.”
Secretary-General Fan Yinglong of the China Democratic Party International Alliance said: “We have just supported the classmate Dang Changxin from Pucheng County, Shaanxi, who fell to his death due to campus bullying in January this year, but unexpectedly, half a year later, under the rule of the CCP in China, bullying incidents have once again become a social issue, and the CCP once again treats the people with repression.”
“But the people of Sichuan are admirable, they have set an example for all Chinese, bravely resisting authoritarian tyranny,” he said. “We will continue to pass on the cries of the people of Sichuan! Jiangyou, keep going!”
The participants at the rally made phone calls on the spot, ordering accountability for the inhumane actions of Wang Zhifei, the chief of the Jiangyou Public Security Bureau, and Chen Zhen, the deputy director who led the frontline violence and arrests.
To express their indignation, Chinese participants at the rally also burned a CCP party flag. They trampled on the flag steeped in blood, ignited it, and placed it in a brazier to demonstrate the burning process. Onlookers took photos and cheered.
Currently, videos and discussions related to the Jiangyou incident on Chinese social media have been completely deleted, and relevant terms on social platforms have been blocked. Some netizens have been summoned or punished by the police for “spreading false information.” The event is still unfolding, becoming a significant challenge and warning to the management of juvenile crime, judicial fairness, and protection of citizens’ rights in Chinese society. ◇