2012 Zhongshan riot
Date25 June 2012
Location
Shaxi, Zhongshan, Guangdong
Caused byConflict between immigrants and locals and allegations of police brutality
Resulted inthe riot was suppressed by the People's Armed Police
Parties
local people
Casualties and losses
over 100 injuries (according to BBC)

The 2012 Zhongshan riot occurred on and following June 25, 2012 in the Shaxi district of Zhongshan, in China's Guangdong province. Sparked by a fight between a migrant teen from Sichuan and a local schoolboy, the violence snowballed into a major riot by hundreds of mostly Sichuanese workers as tensions between migrant workers and natives boiled over.[1]

Background

According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 24 million migrants from other parts of China live in Guangdong, one of China's richest provinces, while an addition 10 million have moved from poor to rich areas within the province.[2] Migrants generally do not receive local services like healthcare and education, because their household registration, or hukou, shows them as living in their original village. Tensions have frequently arisen between migrants and locals due to attendant issues, especially since migrants are often suspected of criminality and suffer abuse from local police. Many local towns and even cities recognize that they would not be able to afford offering the same services to migrants as they offer to legal residents.[3]

Riot

The riot reportedly began after police arrested and allegedly abused a teenager from Chongqing who was accused of beating up a local schoolboy.[1][3][4] The South China Morning Post reported online allegations that the teenager had frequently extorted students for cash, threatening them with violence if they refused.[5] A crowd of migrants gathered, and then at some point began to rampage, destroying police cars, looting shops, and attacking local people.[4] Within two days, the city had been placed under lockdown, with hundreds of military and security personnel in the area.[5] Despite vehement denials by Chinese officials, locals reported that many were wounded in the riot and that several had been killed when security forces intervened.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Migrant workers clash with police in south China". Reuters. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. ↑ Chun Han Wong (10 July 2015). "13 Million Guangdong Migrants Could Gain Permanent Residence By 2020". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  3. 1 2 Shambaugh, David, ed. (2016). "Urban and Rural". The China Reader: Rising Power (6 ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 216. ISBN 9780199397082.
  4. 1 2 3 "Migrant workers clash with police in south China". Radio Free Asia. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Zhongshan township sealed off after riot". South China Morning Post. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
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