In mainland China, reports of individuals being punished for their speech have emerged once again. In Xiangyang, Hubei, and Huaibei, Anhui, two internet users were arrested and detained by the police for criticizing the military parade held on September 3.
The public security department in Xiangyang, Hubei, announced today (September 4) that a 47-year-old internet user named Meng posted “defamatory and insulting remarks” in his WeChat Moments on the 3rd, mocking other users’ “patriotic comments.” As a result, he was administratively detained by Zaoyang public security.
After the news was revealed, netizens expressed strong reactions. Some questioned: “What did he post? Can we see it?” “Please tell us what kind of speech is deemed inappropriate.” There were also sarcastic remarks: “Probably spoke some hard truths and got into trouble,” “Must have insulted someone.”
Overseas platform X also received insider information. A netizen from Shanghai residing in Huaibei, Anhui, made fun of the military parade in a WeChat group: “What era is this? Still engaging in such antics.” Less than three hours later, he was apprehended by the police and detained for 10 days.
A circulated image showed that he commented at 9:28 am on the 3rd and was taken away by noon at 12:28. The swiftness of the action sparked backlash on overseas social media platforms.
Some criticized, “They catch those who criticize the government so quickly, but missing children are still not found?” Others questioned, “Is this type of arrest legitimate? What laws did he violate?”
Some boldly stated, “The Chinese Communist Party is ahead in repression and silencing critics.” “Doesn’t this resemble fascism? Suppressing any dissenting political opinions.” “The Chinese Communist Party is only efficient in dealing with this.”
Others remarked, “One simple criticism and they go all out to arrest someone, despite their façade of strength, deep down they are insecure.”
Observers noted that during the military parade, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintained comprehensive “stability maintenance,” cracking down not only on human rights activists, religious groups, and petitioners but also tightly controlling online public opinion. The entire internet was flooded with official media’s propaganda of “lies, exaggeration, and void.” A user on Zhihu lamented, “Genuine opinions cannot be expressed at all.”
Production Team of “News Insight”