It’s too much! The Shifang authorities’ excessive violence has been criticized by even the official media (Photo)

It’s too much! The Shifang authorities’ excessive violence has been criticized by the official media (Photo) The "Global Times", a subsidiary of the People's Daily, the Communist Party's newspaper, published an article on Sichuan...

The Global Times, a subsidiary of the Communist Party's People's Daily, published an article criticizing the authorities in Shifang, Sichuan for their handling of public unrest caused by the molybdenum-copper project.

The Global Times said that in the process of going in a "big circle" from the start of the molybdenum-copper project, to mass protests, to police "dispersal", until the city government finally announced the suspension of the project, the government's credibility has been newly damaged.

The report pointed out that the important thing is that this is not the first time that the government has faced this "grave", but it is hoped that this is the same "last chasm" that local governments have faced.

The Global Times calls on local governments to “tell the truth to the public, conduct hearings strictly in accordance with the law, and no longer hide the truth from the public” when it comes to industrial project approvals that may cause environmental concerns.

The report also emphasized that no one should have the illusion of "controlling public opinion" when it comes to environmental issues, saying that this is the "bottom line of seeking truth from facts."

Crackdown

The Shifang police used excessive violence to disperse demonstrators in recent days, causing public outrage. Some people called for the resignation of the Shifang Municipal Party Committee Secretary.

Pictures displayed online showed police chasing and beating unarmed people, including women and teenagers, and tear gas bombs injuring many people.

According to Hong Kong media reports, pictures show that many people’s faces are covered with blood, and some wounds are so deep that they can see the bones. The injured even include babies who are only a few months old.

> Shifang authorities issued announcements as always, reminding the general public to "do not believe or spread rumors and maintain social stability." They also admitted to arresting 27 people, 21 of whom were released "after being educated and repenting."