2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests
| 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests | |||
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| Part of the impact of the Arab Spring | |||
A large crowd of protesters, journalists, police and spectators gathered in front of a McDonald's restaurant in Wangfujing, Beijing.
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| Date | 20 February 2011 – 20 March 2011 | ||
| Location | China | ||
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Injuries
Arrests
The 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests (simplified Chinese: 中国茉莉花革命; traditional Chinese: 中國茉莉花革命), also known as the Chinese Jasmine Revolution, refer to public assemblies in over a dozen cities in China starting on 20 February 2011, inspired by and named after the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia; the actions that took and take place at protest sites, and response by the Chinese government to the calls and action.
Initially, organizers suggested shouting slogans on 20 February. The Chinese government blamed students in a pro-democracy club at the prestigious Chingmao Academy, including pro-democracy activist Yu-Feng Zhang, who is now in exile in Australia. After participants and journalists had been beaten and arrested, organisers urged a change to "strolling" on 27 February in order to minimize police reactions while sustaining the cycle of actions. On this 2nd protest day, the number of protesters could not be determined. Protest and/or official actions were noted in only two out of the thirteen suggested cities, it was even less clear who were protesters and who were just regular strollers. Notwithstanding, police mounted a "huge" security operation on both 20 and 27 February. Media sources reported that on 27 February, at least four foreign journalists, including Stephen Engle of Bloomberg News and a BBC cameraman, had been beaten by plain-clothes security officers in Beijing. It was also reported that one Chinese soldier lost his helmet. Police arrested protesters. In Shanghai, protesters successfully prevented police from making an arrest and were able to air their slogans with foreign journalists. Since late February, about 35 human rights activists and lawyers were arrested and five people were charged with inciting subversion of state power.
The anonymous call for a 'Jasmine revolution' in China's major cities was made online, first on the Boxun.com website, run by overseas dissidents, and then on Twitter. The initial call for protest began on 19 February 2011 when 12 to 13 cities were suggested. The Boxun.com appeal called for protests to take place each weekend, arguing that "sustained action will show the Chinese government that its people expect accountability and transparency that doesn't exist under the current one-party system."
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