December 04, 2019, 09:09 PM
The Chinese local government in the southern town of Wenlou in Huazhou city, Guangdong province, has backed down on its plans to build a crematorium, after hundreds of residents took to the streets in protest.
Protests first started last Thursday, Nov. 28, when the Wenlou government posted a statement on the same day.
Police and protesters locked in a stand-off in front of Wenlou township government’s offices in Guangdong following two days of clashes that saw dozens of people hurt and as many as 100 detained. Locals said they are against a plan to build a crematorium. pic.twitter.com/E2Ii3KVPkP
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) November 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/wbyeats1865/status/1200077423607345154?s=12
The notice said that instead of an "ecological park", which includes offices and a cafeteria, a funeral home consisting of a crematorium will be built instead, Inkstone News reported.
Why were the locals against the crematorium?
A woman told South China Morning Post (SCMP) that the locals were concerned that a crematorium could pollute their water supply as the site is close to residential areas and their water source.
They also felt miffed that the authorities had not consulted them prior to the decision, as having a crematorium nearby is being generally viewed as inauspicious in Chinese culture.
The woman also said police had been preventing reporters from getting to the site of the protest.
Here are some clips of the protesters marching on the streets, and clashing with the riot police:
【广东茂名示威防暴警出动镇压】
— 自由亚洲电台 (@RFA_Chinese) November 29, 2019
2019年11月28日，广东茂名化州市文楼镇，因为居民反对兴建殡仪馆和火葬场，爆发大规模示威。当局派出大批防暴警察镇压，出动装甲车，施放催泪弹驱散示威者，双方发生冲突，网民拍摄的视频显示，有警察围殴民众，并在地上拖行，多名村民受伤，据说警察曾开枪示警。 pic.twitter.com/WgabYfuS4O
https://twitter.com/jenniferhychan/status/1200749688619560963?s=12
The protests were extremely heated, with some protesters shouting at the riot police and even overturning police vehicles.
https://twitter.com/WBYeats1865/status/1200414103568674816
In what seemed like similar acts when compared to the months-long protests in Hong Kong, protesters also threw bricks at the police and set up road barricades.
But instead of petrol bombs, they threw firecrackers at the police.
🇨🇳China Guangdong protesters are using firework against riot police hahahaha #StandWithHongKong pic.twitter.com/hBMN21pz6G
— 上帝Cantonese God (@thecantonesegod) November 29, 2019
Mianland China protesters just firecrackered shit of riot police.#freedomChina#FreedomHongKong
— 巴丢草 Bad ї ucao (@badiucao) November 29, 2019
pic.twitter.com/MwsD14r07B
Protesters injured in clashes with the police
To restrain the protests, Chinese police fired tear gas and made use of water cannons.
Violent clashes between protesters and police took place as well.
Video clips of local residents, including the elderly and children, getting beaten up by the riot police made their way to social media.
While several videos had since been deleted from popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo, they were posted onto other social media platforms such as Twitter.
这是该小学生被打后的视频 pic.twitter.com/egV36RnxkH
— 权利运动-王维 (@chinahrc) November 28, 2019
https://twitter.com/wbyeats1865/status/1200416881384931328?s=12
Protests in mainland China comes at a sensitive time
According to Guardian, it is not uncommon to see small-scale protests against government-initiated projects such as incinerators and chemical plants.
However, this particular protest in Wenlou has come at a sensitive time for Beijing, which is concerned that the unrest in Hong Kong -- now in its sixth month -- could potentially spread to mainland China.
The Chinese Communist Party is also fearful of organised protests, no matter the topic, as they could potentially gain widespread support among the population and grow into a movement large enough that poses a destabilising force to the party's rule.
Protests continued despite government agreeing to suspend the project
Two days after the start of the protests, the local government announced on Saturday, Nov. 30, that the project would be suspended pending public consultation as people had "different views", Inkstone News reported.
However, this failed to stop people from rallying on the streets, which was similar to what happened in Hong Kong, where demonstrations continued after the government announced the extradition bill's suspension on June 15.
Chinese government backed down after four days of protests
The Wenlou government eventually backed down on Sunday, Dec. 1, saying that they will "never build a crematorium", Apple Daily reported.
The crowds reportedly cheered when Li Weihua, the Communist Party chief of Wenlou, made the announcement.
The local Chinese government's response to the protests was in stark contrast with the Hong Kong government's handling of the protests that broke out in June.
The Wenlou government even released several arrested protesters -- one of the four remaining unfulfilled demands that the Hong Kong protesters have insisted on.
Similarities with Hong Kong protests
Similar to their counterparts in Hong Kong, Wenlou residents, who also speak Cantonese, came up with five demands for the local authorities.
They are, according to The Times:
- For the government to cancel plans for the crematorium.
- Took into cases of alleged police brutality.
- Free arrested protesters.
- Pay for damages.
- Restore the construction site to green space.
Protesters have also reportedly used slogans that are inspired by the ones used in Hong Kong, such as "Liberate Mao Ming (the prefecture-level city where Wenlou is located), revolution of our times!", according to Apple Daily.
A protester had also told a reporter from Apple Daily that what the residents are doing is "just like you in Hong Kong".
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