The demonstration turned violent after villagers were turned away and told to raise the issue with their local Communist party cadre, but were unable to locate any party officials. “Village officials didn’t show up to give us an explanation . . . so we went to their office and smashed it up,” said one man. The enraged villagers also attacked structures in the industrial park…
…
On Thursday afternoon scores of policemen retaliated. Video footage obtained by the Financial Times showed police getting out of armoured cars and other vehicles and chasing anyone who happened to be on the streets. A 15-year-old boy returning from school was beaten and kicked by two policemen.
Villagers said that two children had been taken to hospital bleeding profusely and that a 13-year-old girl had gone missing. A frail woman in her eighties said she too was attacked by police. In response, infuriated residents of Wukan attacked the police station and overturned police cars.
This sort of thing is pretty routine in China.
jcapan
Even routine is an understatement. Protests and strikes across China are daily news here.
They are the last people to revere authority and any violent tactics by the state will be answered in kind. If only the populations of our nominally democratic societies were as adversarial to those holding power.
As if predatory elites are going to willingly give up a goddamned thing.
jcapan
Speaking of insane police departments, I just read this:
http://news.yahoo.com/nypd-chief-police-could-down-plane-needed-234359488.html
Current read is Dick’s A Scanner Darkly–thank jesus he didn’t live long enough to see his imagined dystopia become reality.
BDBlue
This post reminded me of an Ioz post about how surprised our news media always seems to be when it becomes clear that “non-democratic” governments care what their people think. Perhaps it’s so shocking because it’s become apparent that our “democratic” government largely doesn’t care.
Lisa Simeone
Give it time here. The cops are Macing and beating people up in New York. Washington is next. And then, who knows? Unrest could spread around the country.
Celsius 233
America’s tolerance for violence is many times higher than it was in the 60’s.
This is the new normal; as it has become in China.
The wealthy are insulated from such vulgar behavior and their hired minions deal out the punishment as seen fit…
Lisa Simeone
Celsius, you’re right. But I still say we have to fight.
Lisa Simeone
P.S. Chris Hedges made an appearance at the protest, remarking “The moment people come out and do this [kind of protest], the corporate state is terrified — and if you doubt me, look around you at the huge numbers of cops, and not only that but the kind of brutality the cops have visited on peaceful protesters.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SKw2j3XOY0&feature=player_embedded
NEon
Lisa, sorry if it sounds like I’m picking a fight (no pun, seriously) but your statement cracks me up.
“Celsius, you’re right. But I still say we have to fight.”
I won’t even bother listening until people realize that fighting is not an end game. Only death will make a statement. One only talks of fighting when OTHER people die for the speaker’s rights. It’s when someone speaks of sacrifice that I know THEY are willing and able to die for their own rights.
As in “I realize that with my actions, I may have to make the ultimate sacrifice”
Lisa Simeone
Sorry, NEon, I’m not willing to fall on my sword just yet.
And I think it’s ridiculous to tell people that the only sacrifice possible is death.
Hairhead
I’ve been working with immigrants, many from China, for nearly 20 years now. Most people in North America don’t realize how fragile and unstable mainland China is. Sure, there are now 400 million “middle-class” people — that leaves, oh, about 950 million desperately poor, increasingly-desperate peasants.
In China, city and provincial governments routinely ignore orders from Beijing. Case in point, Guangzhou (Canton). Guangzhou province used to be a rice exporting province. Now it imports rice, because rice paddies and other arable land is being covered in concrete for “development”. Beijing authorities have noticed this, and have demanded that wholesale destruction of arable land stop. But it isn’t happening. Greedy local officials are going ahead, willy-nilly grabbing as much as they can while the grabbing is good.
All those huge infrastructure projects in rail, power, dams, etc., are all Beijing’s desperate tactics to soak up a workforce before they turn their idle hands to something more radical — like tear down (literally) the existing power structure.
I’m watching China, and it doesn’t look good.
Petro
@Lisa – question for you in last thread…
Lisa Simeone
Petro, I just looked at your question in the other thread. Sorry, I don’t have any other info and haven’t looked for any. He did post the full RFP, which I’m assuming someone leaked to him. Otherwise, what did he do? Make the whole thing up? That’d be a lot of work — fabricating a word doc. Anyway, I concede that it may be just normal ordinary marketing bullshit — “social listening platforms” — and nothing nefarious.
On the other hand, who knows, given that the DHS is constantly promulgating and revising new definitions of “domestic extremist” and “domestic terrorist.”
Petro
Thanks, Lisa – I’m not implying BS, I just like a teeny bit more before I put my name on it. 🙂
I’ll keep my eyes open…
Celsius 233
Lisa Simeone PERMALINK
September 26, 2011
Celsius, you’re right. But I still say we have to fight.
============================
Little comfort in being right; but it does help to see clearly.
Your new tactic of ongoing demonstrations may well be a future tipping point. But between here and there is going to be a huge amount of pain directly proportional to the effect; up to and including deaths, unfortunately.
I’m no longer in the states, but am following closely because the U.S. cannot continue like this.
It seems there are two choices; the people are effective and get results; or the likely end of all rights and truth to power.
Either one is going to be costly in human terms.
Lisa Simeone
Celsius, the protests are already spreading to other cities. Occupy Wall Street is FINALLY being covered by the U.S. media — 9 days after it started — only because the cops starting beating people up. Thank god for the foreign press, especially the Guardian.
Anyway, other cities are reporting protests springing up. The NYFD the other night passed by the encampment honking their horns and shouting solidarity. And there are unconfirmed reports that 100 New York cops called in sick to protest what some of their colleagues are doing, because they’re just as disgusted by it as we are.
I know that, as you say, dangers lie ahead. I fear our overlords will only be emboldened and will crack down even harder. But that’s the chance we have to take. And as an activist friend says, that history hasn’t been written yet. We’re a part of it. (But I’m not, as Neon seems to suggest we must do, going to commit seppuku.)
Celsius 233
I don’t agree that seppuku/suicide is even an appropriate term for fighting for ones rights; even if that fight is likely to result in death. Absurd it is.
Syrians, all 2,000+ of them didn’t commit suicide; the revolutionary army of the colonies didn’t commit suicide.
I wasn’t suicidal when I marched against the Viet Nam war.
In any event; ironic it is, that the Egyptians, Tunisians, and Syrians had to get the U.S. to remember what democracy is all about and teach us how to fight non-violently for it…
I wish you all the very best and thank you…
atcooper
Let me second the above wish for all the best. I’ve found the movement on Wall Street to be inspiring, and looked up what action is being taking in Texas, my current residence and homeland. I don’t expect it to be much as the region is so in thrall to the corporatists, but shall nevertheless spend what time I can with the folks gathering closer to the October dates. At a minimum, getting tapped back in to the communications with the simpatico is worth it all into itself.
Petro
#OccupyPortland – 10/06
Lisa Simeone
Petro, yes, they’re spreading all over the country. Occupy Boston, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Portland, Occupy D.C., Occupy Phoneix, Occupy L.A., Occupy Detroit, Occupy Houston, Occupy Birmingham, Miami, Dallas, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Lexington KY, and about 20 other cities so far. People are fed up.
Petro
I’m generally slow to excitement, but I’m getting there…
anon2525
Petro, yes, they’re spreading all over the country.
All over the country and outside of the U.S.: People in cities in Canada, U.K. & Ireland, Australia, and Germany are all either getting together or making announcements about getting together.
Lisa Simeone
Yes, the 15th is the global day.
By the way, article on the first General Assembly in Boston was covered by the UK Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/28/occupy-boston-wall-street?newsfeed=true
But, of course, the U.S. media is once again behind the curve.