BEIJING – Hundreds marched today in protest against alleged corruption by local officials in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, multiple participants told reporters, in a rare public demonstration in the tightly controlled country.
Hit hard by the country’s economic slowdown, four banks in Henan province have since mid-April frozen all cash withdrawals, leaving thousands of small savers without funds and sparking sporadic demonstrations.
Today saw some of the largest protests yet, with several hundred people rallying in front of a branch of the People’s Bank of China in the Henan capital Zhengzhou, according to multiple witnesses who declined to be named.
1. Massive protest out break in Henan province，China.
— 巴丢草 Badiucao (@badiucao) July 10, 2022
More than 3000 protesters who are victim of bank financial fraud show up in capital City of Henan.
None of them can withdraw money from account now.
info credit @Qwaszx179730654pic.twitter.com/HXuJmZZYSj
Images circulating on social media showed banners denouncing “the corruption and violence of the Henan authorities”.
Protesters were “hit, wounded and were bleeding from the head. Disabled people were also violently beaten,” one participant said, estimating the number of demonstrators to have been “several thousand”.
Local authorities in Henan did not immediately comment on the protests.
?? China, rural “depositors” can’t even get their money out of frozen banks and protest it without being beaten and arrested. Chinese people brainwashed by the CCP are waking up. pic.twitter.com/gMJmZDszhu
— ???? ??????? ??? ??????? (@72powpow) July 10, 2022
Some demonstrators accuse officials of colluding with local banks to suppress protests, with authorities last month accused of exploiting the Covid-19 health pass to quell new protests, turning protesters’ passes red to effectively bar them from public spaces.
The health pass has become a ubiquitous part of life in China under Beijing’s strict zero-Covid-19 strategy, and is required to access the vast majority of buildings, shopping centres, public places and also certain public transport.
While most accept use of the technology for public health purposes, some have voiced concern that it could also be used for surveillance of the population – already widespread in China.
#China: Massive Protest/Possible Riots in Henan Central China, Resident Still Unable to Withdrawal Money China Central Bank For Months. pic.twitter.com/G4exni3UJw
— Wᵒˡᵛᵉʳᶤᶰᵉ Uᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉˢ? (@W0lverineupdate) July 10, 2022
Demonstrations are relatively rare in tightly controlled China, where social stability is an official obsession and where opposition is swiftly repressed.
But desperate citizens do sometimes take to the streets, despite the risk of arrest and prosecution.
Analysts say that some local banks across China have found their already-precarious financial situations exacerbated by corruption. – AFP, July 10, 2022
