In a tragic incident in Guangzhou, a 22-year-old male driver named Wen Qingyun deliberately rammed his BMW into pedestrians, resulting in the deaths of 6 individuals and injuries to 29 others. On April 19, Wen Qingyun was sentenced to death. The escalating social violence in China in recent years is believed to be a direct consequence of the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, on January 11 last year, Wen Qingyun drove his vehicle recklessly in the Tianhe District of Guangzhou, intentionally crashing into pedestrians and road facilities to vent his personal emotions, causing severe casualties and property damage.
The incident took place near Zhengjia Plaza on Tianhe Road in Guangzhou, where a BMW SUV drove onto a pedestrian crossing, slamming into a crowd at high speed. The driver, afterward, got out of the car and scattered money before being apprehended. He was heard saying phrases like “one of us” and “Huang Kunming (Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee) is my uncle.”
On April 18 last year, the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court convicted Wen Qingyun of endangering public safety through dangerous methods and sentenced him to death. After an appeal, the Guangdong Provincial Higher People’s Court rejected his plea and upheld the original verdict.
According to the court’s verdict, the BMW incident resulted in 6 deaths, including 5 instant fatalities and 1 death on January 19 following unsuccessful rescue attempts, as well as injuries to 29 others.
Incidents involving vehicular collisions and homicides have been on the rise across China, with only a few recent cases mentioned below.
On April 8 this year, a 34-year-old lawyer in Zhejiang died from injuries after being stabbed due to a neighborhood building dispute.
On the evening of April 7, a violent incident occurred at the Shandong Transportation College campus. The Jinan Changqing District Public Security Bureau reported that a criminal case took place on the campus resulting in one fatality, with the suspect already in custody. It was rumored online that a student had fatally stabbed a teacher.
On March 29 this year, a car hit pedestrians in Xinfeng County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, resulting in at least 2 deaths and 3 injuries.
On March 22 this year, a deliberate vehicular collision occurred in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province.
On March 21, another incident of a car hitting multiple pedestrians took place on West Chang’an Street in Beijing.
On March 19, within a single day, three separate incidents of car collisions with pedestrians occurred consecutively in Shenyang, Liaoning, Taizhou, Zhejiang, and Beijing, resulting in dozens of casualties.
On March 12 this year, in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, a small car collided with pedestrians and electric bikes, with the driver fleeing the scene. At least 11 people were injured.
On March 10, a murder case occurred in Handan, Hebei, where three minors killed another minor and disposed of the body, causing shock throughout society.
On March 1, a severe traffic accident transpired in Dezhou, Shandong, where a man suspected of driving under the influence deliberately hit elementary school students as a form of societal retaliation, resulting in around 40 individuals injured, including 7 fatalities, before the driver died from unsuccessful rescue attempts.
On February 10, a horrific murder case happened in Juxian County, Rizhao City, Shandong, where official sources claimed over 10 deaths, but various reports on mainland networks indicated different figures ranging from 14 to 18, or even exceeding 40 fatalities.
Former Beijing lawyer and Chairman of the Democratic China Front in Canada, Lai Jianping, told Epoch Times that the pervasive societal violence in China under the CCP rule is an inevitable outcome of the authoritarian governance and oppression by the Party.
Gu Guoping, a retired university professor in Shanghai, stated, “Various incidents seeking retribution against society occur almost every day. It’s because the people have grievances but nowhere to voice them, sufferings but no place to appeal, have reasons but nowhere to present them. The judicial system, public security, and law enforcement are all oppressive towards the common people. The violent oppression of the people by the CCP has now reached a boiling point and is on the verge of explosion.”