Shishou incident

The Shishou Incident (Chinese: 石首事件) was a popular protest and riot in the city of Shishou, Hubei Province, in central China between June 19–21, 2009. The protests were the result of dubious circumstances surrounding the death of 24-year-old chef Tu Yuangao (涂遠高) of the local Yonglong Hotel (永隆大酒店).

Although local police claimed Tu's death was a suicide, some believed foul play was involved and crowds were angered by what they alleged to be cronyism, drug trafficking, and lack of transparency from the city's top officials. Protesters started gathering outside the hotel Friday and clashed with the police for two days. The incident later became a mass riot involving over 10,000 people and 10,000 police officers.

The number of people in the protest may have been as high as 70,000. According to Foreign Affairs, “In a 2009 riot in Shishou, in Hubei Province, 70,000 people confronted police officers in what the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government-affiliated think tank, considered to be 'the most serious street riot' since 1949.”

On 17 June 2009, Tu Yuangao (涂遠高 Tú Yuǎngāo), a 24-year-old chef at Yonglong Hotel was found dead outside the hotel gate. Police said a suicide note left by the chef showed he was "pessimistic and hated the world". On 18 June 2009 the local police declared that it was a suicide case, and offered RMB 35,000 (about US$5,000) for compensation in exchange for immediate cremation of the dead body, in addition to the family signing a public statement "admitting" to the death as a suicide.

Tu's father declined the police offer. He began to barricade his son's body against the police, who then attempted to remove the body by force. Local people gathered to guard the coffin, which was placed on the first floor of the hotel.

A local woman surnamed Cheng said local government officials were involved with the hotel, and were engaged in drug trafficking. She claimed that Tu decided to quit, but was later beaten to death by hotel staff or gangsters. Tu's relatives believe he was killed by the hotel boss, who was a relative of the Mayor.

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Wikipedia