Bullies in Sichuan, China beat up girl, 14, 'light punishment' led to rare protests & clashes with police

Protests erupted in China's Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province on Aug. 4 after a school bullying incident of a 14-year-old girl went viral on social media and sparked widespread anger.

According to BBC, more than a thousand people gathered on the streets outside local government offices past midnight to call for justice for the victim, as they deemed the punishments imposed on the perpetrators were not harsh enough.

The rare show of dissent in the country was reportedly quashed with violence after police used batons and electric pods on the crowd.

School bullying

The bullying incident, which happened outside the school premises on Jul. 22, involved the victim, surnamed Lai, and three other girls, aged 13, 14 and 15 who are surnamed Liu, Peng and Liu respectively.

What's on Weibo reported that the three perpetrators allegedly lured Lai into an abandoned building following a dispute between her and the oldest abuser.

Videos taken by the perpetrators showed the three girls taking turns kicking, slapping and hitting Lai with a stick, as well as forcing her to kneel.

At one point, the victim was heard threatening to call the police, upon which one of the girls replied that she was not afraid as she had been hauled to the police station more than 10 times, but was set free in under 20 minutes.

Light sentence

After the video made its rounds on the internet, gaining concern and anger, police said on Aug. 4 that two of the bullies had been sent to a correctional institute, The Guardian reported.

The third bully and a number of onlookers were "criticised and educated", police said, and their guardians were "ordered to exercise strict discipline".

News of the punishments further angered netizens who claimed that the repercussions were too light, reflecting a supposed lack of severity in the authorities' view on bullying.

Many then took to the streets on the same day to express their dissatisfaction in front of the city hall.

Lai's parents were notably among the crowd at the municipal government building, pleading with authorities to seek justice for their daughter.

In a video posted online, they were at one point seen kowtowing on the ground at the feet of an official.

BBC reported that things took a bloody turn when officers began dragging protesters along the street and hitting them with batons.

Videos circulating on the internet showed people being pulled away by police officers, with some being dragged by the limbs.

Onlookers were also told by the police not to discuss the incident with the media.

Bullying in China

Bullying cases in China have gained significant traction in recent years, with many alleging that juvenile punishments are too mild.

The high profile bullying and killing of a 13-year-old boy by three other minors in Northern China in March 2024 similarly triggered widespread outrage, after which authorities vowed to crack down on school bullying.

On Jan. 2 this year, another death of a teenage boy who had fallen from his school dormitory in Pucheng, Shaanxi Province also sparked violent protests after netizens deemed his death unnatural.

While authorities said the boy's fall to his death was an accident, allegations spread on social media that it was a cover up for a case of intense bullying by the boy's classmates.

Evidence of the incident have since supposedly been wiped from Chinese social media by the government.

While protests are not uncommon in China, they are typically sensitive topics that are not publicly discussed, and are quickly quelled.

Top images via Weibo