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China squelchin' democratic dissent...
China Cracks Down on Call for 'Jasmine Revolution'
Feb 19, 2011 - Chinese authorities cracked down on activists as a call circulated for people to gather in more than a dozen cities Sunday for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests sweeping the Middle East.
See also:
China Reacts Cautiously to Events in Egypt
February 12, 2011 - Communist Party calls for stability in Egypt after fall of President Hosni Mubarak - saying foreign powers should not interfere
China Cracks Down on Call for 'Jasmine Revolution'
Feb 19, 2011 - Chinese authorities cracked down on activists as a call circulated for people to gather in more than a dozen cities Sunday for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests sweeping the Middle East.
The source of the call was not known, but authorities moved to halt its spread online, and police detained at least 14 people, by one activist's count. Searches for the word "jasmine" were blocked Saturday on China's largest Twitter-like microblog, and the website where the request first appeared said it was hit by an attack. Activists seemed not to know what to make of the call to protest, even as they passed it on. They said they were unaware of any known group being involved in the request for citizens to gather in 13 cities and shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness."
Some even wondered whether the call was "performance art" instead of a serious move in the footsteps of recent protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. Always on guard to squelch dissent at home, China's authoritarian government has appeared unnerved by the events in the Middle East. It has limited reporting, stressing the instability caused by protests in Egypt, and has restricted Internet searches to keep people uninformed.
Authorities appeared to be treating the protest call seriously. Families and friends reported the detention or harassment of several activists, and some said they were warned not to participate Sunday. Police pulled Beijing lawyer Jiang Tianyong into a car and drove away, his wife, Jin Bianling, said. She told The Associated Press by phone that she was still waiting for more information Saturday night.
Su Yutong, an activist who now lives in Germany, said that even if Chinese authorities suspect the call to protest wasn't serious, Saturday's actions showed they still feared it. "If they act this way, they'll push this performance art into the real thing," she said in an e-mail. In a Twitter post, Su listed at least 14 people who had been taken away and called that count incomplete.
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See also:
China Reacts Cautiously to Events in Egypt
February 12, 2011 - Communist Party calls for stability in Egypt after fall of President Hosni Mubarak - saying foreign powers should not interfere
China's authoritarian government has reacted with caution to the ousting of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. China's ruling Communist Party called Saturday for stability in Egypt after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak - saying foreign powers should not interfere. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu repeated in an online statement China's guarded response to events in Egypt since pro-democracy protest began 18 days ago. He did not mention Mr. Mubarak's resignation or how he was toppled from power, instead he repeated the same words from a press conference held last Thursday.
Ma says China has been closely following the changing situation in Egypt and hopes the latest developments will help Egypt to restore national stability and normal order as soon as possible. China's state media also gave a cautious reaction. The China Daily underscored the government's key slogan that stability is important above all else. It also said in an editorial Saturday foreign powers should not intervene. The editorial was the first extensive comment from China's state-run media on Mr. Mubarak's ouster on Friday after nearly 30 years as Egypt's ruler.
State television news reported on Mr. Mubarak's fall without comment - and did not show pictures of pro-democracy crowds in Cairo. Many observers say China's cautious response may reflect concern among officials in Beijing for maintaining internal control. Chinese Internet sites have restricted public comment on the unrest in Egypt. But discussion of the Egyptian leader's fall could nonetheless be found on blogs. One Chinese blogger wrote: "The impact of this event will go beyond the Arab world. Faraway China will also feel its consequences."
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