Chinese people are protesting more and more
The sit-in was just one of several protests witnessed by Financial Times reporters in the capital over the past week, and of scores erupting all over China every month.
In the midst of the global recession, public protests are on the rise in many parts of the world but in China people often take to the streets with problems that might seem a mere trifle and would rarely lead to demonstrations in the west.
Protests range from labour disputes to doubts over police cover-ups in criminal cases. But their recurrent theme is pent-up frustration over corrupt administrative and legal systems that usually fail to address the issue at stake.
The elderly protesters in Beijing are a case in point. The developer and owner of their apartment tower are involved in a dispute. The developer controls access to the utilities switches and has pressured the owner by switching off the lift for much of the past four months, leaving the residents, all well above retirement age, to climb the stairs.
Residents said neither the courts nor the local government had responded to their complaints.
Large scale job losses
The global slowdown has wiped out the jobs of at least 23m migrant workers and the number of labour dispute cases doubled last year from a year earlier to 693,000, involving more than 1.2m workers, according to official estimates.
The newly unemployed are predictably turning to public protest to catch the attention of officials and have their grievances addressed.
For two weeks, workers laid off by a Panasonic joint venture have gathered outside the factory gate in Beijing to protest against what they say is an illegal dismissal of nearly 1,000 employees.
Every day, uniformed and plainclothed police surround them and film them but otherwise leave them alone.
Earthquake victims
Less than 500 metres from the Panasonic factory in the popular 798 Art District, a group of migrant workers who claim to be survivors of last year's devastating Sichuan earthquake have staged a similar demonstration, demanding unpaid wages.
Despite their proximity, the two groups do not appear to have had any contact - testament to the Communist party's vigilance in cracking down on the first sign of organised dissent.
Some protests in other provinces have shown that seemingly private problems, if unresolved and made public, can quickly escalate. There have been several reported "mass incidents" over the past year in which enraged mobs, sometimes numbering tens of thousands of people, stormed local government buildings.
The internet can act as a multiplier, as a traffic incident in Hangzhou this month showed. The son of a wealthy businessman hit and killed a pedestrian while speeding in the city. The police announced he had been driving 70km per hour - just 20km/ph above the speed limit and just within the limit for the case to be handled as a traffic violation rather than a criminal case.
The verdict triggered a wave of furious comment in online forums and drove university students out on a candlelight vigil for the victim. Only then did the city's Communist party secretary step in, ordering a more thorough investigation, which led to the arrest of the speeding driver.
Strong reaction
State media also tried to cool things down by admonishing local officials for failing to deal properly with the case in the first place.
He Fan, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying the strong reaction to the accident showed the frustration of the public.
"Everyone thinks that they must blow things up because they fear that otherwise the issue will not be handled fairly and properly.
"But if every issue can only get a fair solution by blowing it up, then everyone will try to blow things up whenever something happens to them," he said.[rc]
© 1999-2009 Financial Times Deutschland
June 20, 2009
CHINA: Growing frustration prompts wave of China protests
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HAMBURG, Germany / Financial Times Deutschland / June 20, 2009
People want to bring attention to their problems, however small
From Kathrin Hille and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing
Traffic in Beijing's central business district came to a standstill last Monday. Police cordoned off a 200 metre stretch of busy Guanghua road, plainclothes officers swarmed the street filming bystanders and journalists, and security guards in helmets stood in tight rows.
At the centre of the action were three elderly local residents who had taken their stools and sat down in the middle of the road outside their apartment block. The reason for their sit-in: the lift in their building was not working.
"I cannot take it anymore," said one old lady who gave her surname as Wang.
Chinese people are protesting more and more
The sit-in was just one of several protests witnessed by Financial Times reporters in the capital over the past week, and of scores erupting all over China every month.
In the midst of the global recession, public protests are on the rise in many parts of the world but in China people often take to the streets with problems that might seem a mere trifle and would rarely lead to demonstrations in the west.
Protests range from labour disputes to doubts over police cover-ups in criminal cases. But their recurrent theme is pent-up frustration over corrupt administrative and legal systems that usually fail to address the issue at stake.
The elderly protesters in Beijing are a case in point. The developer and owner of their apartment tower are involved in a dispute. The developer controls access to the utilities switches and has pressured the owner by switching off the lift for much of the past four months, leaving the residents, all well above retirement age, to climb the stairs.
Residents said neither the courts nor the local government had responded to their complaints.
Large scale job losses
The global slowdown has wiped out the jobs of at least 23m migrant workers and the number of labour dispute cases doubled last year from a year earlier to 693,000, involving more than 1.2m workers, according to official estimates.
The newly unemployed are predictably turning to public protest to catch the attention of officials and have their grievances addressed.
For two weeks, workers laid off by a Panasonic joint venture have gathered outside the factory gate in Beijing to protest against what they say is an illegal dismissal of nearly 1,000 employees.
Every day, uniformed and plainclothed police surround them and film them but otherwise leave them alone.
Earthquake victims
Less than 500 metres from the Panasonic factory in the popular 798 Art District, a group of migrant workers who claim to be survivors of last year's devastating Sichuan earthquake have staged a similar demonstration, demanding unpaid wages.
Despite their proximity, the two groups do not appear to have had any contact - testament to the Communist party's vigilance in cracking down on the first sign of organised dissent.
Some protests in other provinces have shown that seemingly private problems, if unresolved and made public, can quickly escalate. There have been several reported "mass incidents" over the past year in which enraged mobs, sometimes numbering tens of thousands of people, stormed local government buildings.
The internet can act as a multiplier, as a traffic incident in Hangzhou this month showed. The son of a wealthy businessman hit and killed a pedestrian while speeding in the city. The police announced he had been driving 70km per hour - just 20km/ph above the speed limit and just within the limit for the case to be handled as a traffic violation rather than a criminal case.
The verdict triggered a wave of furious comment in online forums and drove university students out on a candlelight vigil for the victim. Only then did the city's Communist party secretary step in, ordering a more thorough investigation, which led to the arrest of the speeding driver.
Strong reaction
State media also tried to cool things down by admonishing local officials for failing to deal properly with the case in the first place.
He Fan, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying the strong reaction to the accident showed the frustration of the public.
"Everyone thinks that they must blow things up because they fear that otherwise the issue will not be handled fairly and properly.
"But if every issue can only get a fair solution by blowing it up, then everyone will try to blow things up whenever something happens to them," he said.[rc]
© 1999-2009 Financial Times Deutschland
Chinese people are protesting more and more
The sit-in was just one of several protests witnessed by Financial Times reporters in the capital over the past week, and of scores erupting all over China every month.
In the midst of the global recession, public protests are on the rise in many parts of the world but in China people often take to the streets with problems that might seem a mere trifle and would rarely lead to demonstrations in the west.
Protests range from labour disputes to doubts over police cover-ups in criminal cases. But their recurrent theme is pent-up frustration over corrupt administrative and legal systems that usually fail to address the issue at stake.
The elderly protesters in Beijing are a case in point. The developer and owner of their apartment tower are involved in a dispute. The developer controls access to the utilities switches and has pressured the owner by switching off the lift for much of the past four months, leaving the residents, all well above retirement age, to climb the stairs.
Residents said neither the courts nor the local government had responded to their complaints.
Large scale job losses
The global slowdown has wiped out the jobs of at least 23m migrant workers and the number of labour dispute cases doubled last year from a year earlier to 693,000, involving more than 1.2m workers, according to official estimates.
The newly unemployed are predictably turning to public protest to catch the attention of officials and have their grievances addressed.
For two weeks, workers laid off by a Panasonic joint venture have gathered outside the factory gate in Beijing to protest against what they say is an illegal dismissal of nearly 1,000 employees.
Every day, uniformed and plainclothed police surround them and film them but otherwise leave them alone.
Earthquake victims
Less than 500 metres from the Panasonic factory in the popular 798 Art District, a group of migrant workers who claim to be survivors of last year's devastating Sichuan earthquake have staged a similar demonstration, demanding unpaid wages.
Despite their proximity, the two groups do not appear to have had any contact - testament to the Communist party's vigilance in cracking down on the first sign of organised dissent.
Some protests in other provinces have shown that seemingly private problems, if unresolved and made public, can quickly escalate. There have been several reported "mass incidents" over the past year in which enraged mobs, sometimes numbering tens of thousands of people, stormed local government buildings.
The internet can act as a multiplier, as a traffic incident in Hangzhou this month showed. The son of a wealthy businessman hit and killed a pedestrian while speeding in the city. The police announced he had been driving 70km per hour - just 20km/ph above the speed limit and just within the limit for the case to be handled as a traffic violation rather than a criminal case.
The verdict triggered a wave of furious comment in online forums and drove university students out on a candlelight vigil for the victim. Only then did the city's Communist party secretary step in, ordering a more thorough investigation, which led to the arrest of the speeding driver.
Strong reaction
State media also tried to cool things down by admonishing local officials for failing to deal properly with the case in the first place.
He Fan, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying the strong reaction to the accident showed the frustration of the public.
"Everyone thinks that they must blow things up because they fear that otherwise the issue will not be handled fairly and properly.
"But if every issue can only get a fair solution by blowing it up, then everyone will try to blow things up whenever something happens to them," he said.[rc]
© 1999-2009 Financial Times Deutschland
