On the eve of the Chengdu World Games, a large-scale protest erupted in Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province. On August 4th, thousands of people gathered in front of the city government to support a 14-year-old girl who had suffered severe bullying at school, demanding harsh punishment for the perpetrators. However, the voice of justice from the people was met with violent suppression by the authorities, leading to bloody clashes. Official channels have been blocking public opinion for days.
The girl had been repeatedly bullied by the same group of people before, but this time she was surrounded, stripped, slapped, kicked, and humiliated by being forced to kneel. After a video of the assault surfaced on August 2nd, public anger quickly escalated. On the 4th, thousands of citizens rose up in protest.
In the early hours of the 5th, authorities mobilized a large number of police forces to suppress the protesters. They used batons to beat the protesters, sprayed pepper spray, and the scene was filled with shouts and screams, with bloodstains on the ground.
A Sichuan resident, using the pseudonym Li Ming, told Dajiyuan that the authorities’ use of violent repression was a very foolish act. “The ordinary people are not making trouble for no reason, it also makes sense, no one wants to escalate the situation. But the authorities always handle things in a way that only worsens the situation.”
At the same time, the authorities simultaneously tightened control over speech. While protests erupted on the streets of Jiangyou, the hot topic on Weibo was about “People’s Army launching a victorious assault,” creating a stark contrast to the real-life scenes of people being beaten and bleeding on the streets. Information related to Jiangyou police enforcement was completely banned.
Some citizens started live streaming from the protest site, questioning the police for using violence. Before they could finish speaking, a group of police rushed in, causing the video feed to cut off amid the chaos.
Due to the widespread blocking of the keyword “Jiangyou” on various mainland platforms, on the 5th, netizens began using terms like “soy sauce” as a replacement, but videos were still being blocked.
Li Ming bluntly said that the authorities wanted to suppress the situation quickly before the opening of the Chengdu World Games on August 7th, but the result was the opposite.
“It is eager to cover up, it can only resort to strong-arm tactics. Once the violent machine is activated, it will continue to crush. The harsher the methods, the greater the impact.”
Faced with the stern repression of the police, the citizens did not back down, collectively shouting slogans like “Bullying the people” and “Serve the people,” and throwing water bottles and other objects at the police in protest.
Another Sichuan resident, using the pseudonym Wang Yu, told Dajiyuan that the mass protest sparked by school bullying has evolved into a roar of the people against the oppressive authoritarian system. Only by bravely standing up can the Communist Party’s tyranny be overthrown.
“They are too evil, many people are on the verge of collapse. The courage of the ordinary people to stand up, the anger can erupt at any moment,” Wang Yu said.
In addition to the voices on the ground, a large number of netizens on various platforms have expressed support for the people of Jiangyou:
“Let’s unite and send the videos to foreign athletes participating in the World Games, let the world see the truth, and see how the CCP ends!”
“History will remember the courage and efforts of our friends in Sichuan. The great revolution to overthrow the Communist Party has begun.”