JIANGSU, China—On the morning of May 30, the forced demolition of an apartment building triggered a bloody confrontation at Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. The family members of the demolished household fought against eight demolition workers. One of the workers, surnamed Yuan, was hacked to death on the spot, while another one died on the way to the hospital. A number of others were injured in the incident, with six suffering varying degrees of injury, including one who was injured seriously.
The government-run Jiangsu Yangtze Evening News reported on May 31 that eight demolition workers, accompanied by three staffers of the community’s estate management office, came to the home of Wang Chunyong’s sister to demolish her apartment building. While the workers were knocking at the door, three infuriated people—apparently family members—suddenly rushed out of the building and violently attacked these workers.
Internet Accounts of the Attack
The news that circulated on the Internet of the attack was different from the Evening News’ official statement. According to an eyewitness, at around 10 a.m. on May 30, eight people led by the man surnamed Yuan, who identified themselves as workers of a demolition company, arrived at the No. 5 apartment building of Jinxiu Jiangnan Community, with six to eight knives in their hands. They tried to force a man surnamed Wang to sign an agreement with the demolition company.
A local resident surnamed Wang said afterward, “They had been coming here every day to intimidate the family day and night, so as to force them to sign an agreement with the real estate developer. They slammed the doors, sealed the keyholes with glue and sloshed paint all over the walls. They beat and swore at family members time and again, and even the legs of an elderly woman in her 70s were broken. They came here today with knives.”
At about 11:30 a.m. on May 30, the neighbors’ attention was attracted by noises downstairs. A worker was killed on the spot, while three others were running out of the apartment, and another one, with his ear chopped off, was lying on the ground near the door with blood all over his body. He died on the way to the hospital.
The two sons of the Wang family forcibly took the knife from a worker’s hands and hacked at the workers madly. In the meantime, the mistress of the family was beaten so badly that she tried to jump out of the building.
According to one eyewitness, right after the riot, the community was packed with local residents who came there to support the Wang family. When the family members of the workers killed arrived at the scene, they were very rude and tried to beat the police and members of the Wang family, arousing resentment in the local people.
Internet users in China have overwhelmingly supported the demolished household’s protest. Some from users included, “It is everyone’s responsibility to defend his household!” “Fully supporting the act of hacking the invaders to death!” “Had you not hacked them to death, you would have been hacked by them!”
Read original article in Chinese.
