Suppressed for Opposing Plant Construction

Any display of disagreement with the Communist Party in China is quashed, even when it concerns the health and wellbeing of an entire town. Nearly 2,000 police officers were sent in to deal with protesting residents in Bahe earlier this month.

On November 9, residents of Bahe town in the central province of Hubei gathered near a highway to protest the construction of a garbage incineration power plant. The plant is to be used for province-wide operations, and given its scale, it would lead to significant water and air pollution in the town. Not only would that directly endanger the health of local people but also pollute about 165,000 acres of their farmland.

However, the authorities of Huanggang city’s Xishui county, where the town is located, refused to listen to the residents or negotiate a solution. Instead, they dispatched nearly 2,000 police officers to manage the protestors.

Government officials threaten the villagers to disperse:

According to several eyewitness accounts, the officers blocked the protesting people with their shields. Anyone who came near them was beaten up, even the elderly, children, and a pregnant woman. Some protestors attempted arguing with police officers, saying that it is not illegal for people to defend their rights, but were immediately assaulted and pinned to the ground.

A pregnant woman is beaten up by police officers:

The chaotic confrontation between the police and protestors went on for a while, and many were left injured. Some women and children got down on their knees pleading the authorities to stop the assault and listen to their grievances.

Women and children get down on their knees and plead the authorities:

Those who tried to film the scenes on their cell phones had their devices snatched and were wrestled to the ground, as the authorities did not want their brutality to be exposed. To prevent the dissemination of information, they also ordered to block the mobile reception signal right after the attack on peaceful demonstrated started. Yet, some residents managed to record videos and upload them online.

Police officers violently assault and arrest Bahe residence trying to uphold their rights:

According to the town residents, officers arrested more than a dozen people that day. They are also on the lookout for those who uploaded the videos and will likely arrest them when they are found.

A Bahe resident warned the authorities that the suppression of people would produce the opposite of the intended results. “Don’t forcibly do things that people don’t want. By doing this, you’re inflaming public sentiment.”

Reported by Shen Xiang