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China cracks down on peaceful protests
[Iran Press TV] China has nabbed foreign journalists attempting to report on peaceful protests, which were being held for the second consecutive Sunday.Large numbers of coppers were deployed to stop the rallies, which resemble pro-democracy movements in the Middle East and North Africa. Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police aggressively pushed away foreign news hounds with cameras and briefly jugged several. Police blew shrill whistles nonstop to keep protesters from coming close to the People's Square in Shanghai. Water trucks, which are used to clean streets, have been brought out and police is using this as an excuse to prevent any gatherings. US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman on Monday condemned the harassment, detention and beating of some foreign news hounds, who sought to cover the protests. The campaigners behind the "Jasmine rallies" -- a reference to the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia that sparked Islamic Awakening across the Arab world -- said their movement had support in dozens of cities. According to a newly created Facebook page called "Chinese Jasmine Revolution," organizers have called for another round of protests this Sunday. Online protest appeals have urged citizens to gather for subtle "strolling" demonstrations each Sunday in cities across China to highlight public anger with the government. Analysts believe that the recurrence of the Sunday rallies would provide an opportunity for Chinese Mohammedans to set objectives for the popular movement by joining the protests. Posted by: Fred 2011-03-01 |
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