Zhengzhou And Henan Protests China Crushes Mass Demonstration By Bank Depositors Demanding Back Their Savings

On Sunday, more than 1,000 depositors from across China gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, to begin their largest protest yet, more than half a dozen protesters told CNN. The demonstration is among the largest China has seen since the pandemic, with domestic travel limited by various Covid movement restrictions. Last month, Zhengzhou authorities even resorted to breaching the country’s digital Covid health code system to restrict the movement of depositors and abort their planned protest, sparking a nationwide outcry. This time, most protesters arrived outside the bank before dawn — some as early as 4 a.m. — to avoid being intercepted by the authorities. The crowd, which included the elderly and children, occupied an imposing staircase outside the bank, shouting slogans and holding banners. “Henan Banks, return my savings!” they shouted in unison, many waving Chinese flags, in videos shared with CNN by two protesters. Using national flags to show patriotism is a common strategy for protesters in China, where dissent is tightly suppressed. The tactic is intended to show that their grievances are only against local governments and that they support and rely on the central government to seek redress. “Against the corruption and violence of the Henan government,” read a banner written in English. A large portrait of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong was affixed to a pillar at the bank’s entrance. Across the street, hundreds of police and security personnel — some in uniform and some in civilian clothes — gathered and surrounded the site as protesters called them “gangsters.”

Violent repression

The standoff lasted several hours until 11 a.m., when lines of security officers suddenly rushed up the stairs and clashed with the protesters, who threw bottles and other small objects at them. The scene quickly turned into chaos as security officers dragged protesters down the stairs and beat those who resisted, including women and the elderly, according to witnesses and videos on social media. A woman from the eastern province of Shandong told CNN she was pushed to the ground by two security guards, who twisted and injured her arm. A 27-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzhen, surnamed Sun, said he was kicked to the ground by seven or eight guards before being dragged away. A 45-year-old man from the central city of Wuhan said his shirt was completely torn in the back during the fight. Many said they were shocked by the sudden outburst of violence by security forces. “I didn’t expect them to be so violent and shameless this time. There was no communication, no warning before they brutally dispersed us,” said a witness from a metropolis outside Henan who had protested in Zhengzhou before and asked CNN to hide the name for security reasons. “Why should civil servants beat us? We are ordinary people asking for our deposits back, we have done nothing wrong,” said the woman from Shandong. Protesters were herded into dozens of buses and sent to makeshift detention centers across the city — from hotels and schools to factories, according to people taken there. Some injured were taken to hospitals. Many were released from custody by late afternoon, the people said. CNN has reached out to the Henan provincial government for comment. The Zhengzhou Business District Police Station — which has jurisdiction over the protest site — hung up on CNN’s call seeking comment. Late Sunday night, Henan’s banking regulator issued a brief statement, saying “relevant departments” are accelerating efforts to verify information about customer funds at the four rural banks. “(Authorities) are drawing up a plan to address the issue, which will be announced in the near future,” the statement said.

Shattered lives

The protest comes at a politically sensitive time for the ruling Communist Party, just months before leader Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term in a key meeting this autumn. Large-scale protests over lost savings and damaged livelihoods could be seen as a political embarrassment for Xi, who has promoted a nationalist vision of leading the country into a “great rejuvenation”. The Henan authorities are under tremendous pressure to stop the protests. But depositors remain undeterred. As the issue drags on, many have become increasingly desperate to recover their savings. Huang, the depositor from Wuhan, lost his job in the medical cosmetology industry this year as businesses struggled in the pandemic. However, he is unable to withdraw any of his life savings — more than 500,000 yuan ($75,000) — from a rural bank in Henan. “Being unemployed, all I can live on is my previous savings. But I can’t even do that now — how am I supposed to (support my family)?” said Huang, whose son is in high school. Sun, from Shenzhen, is struggling to keep his machine factory from bankruptcy after he lost his 4 million yuan ($597,000) deposit with a Henan bank. He can’t even pay his more than 40 employees without the funds. Sun said he was covered in bruises and had a swollen lower back after being repeatedly tackled by security guards at the protest. “The incident completely turned my perception of the government upside down. I lived my whole life with so much faith in the government. After today, I will never trust it again,” he said.

title: “Zhengzhou And Henan Protests China Crushes Mass Demonstration By Bank Depositors Demanding Back Their Savings " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-02” author: “David Mills”

On Sunday, more than 1,000 depositors from across China gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, to begin their largest protest yet, more than half a dozen protesters told CNN. The demonstration is among the largest China has seen since the pandemic, with domestic travel limited by various Covid movement restrictions. Last month, Zhengzhou authorities even resorted to breaching the country’s digital Covid health code system to restrict the movement of depositors and abort their planned protest, sparking a nationwide outcry. This time, most protesters arrived outside the bank before dawn — some as early as 4 a.m. — to avoid being intercepted by the authorities. The crowd, which included the elderly and children, occupied an imposing staircase outside the bank, shouting slogans and holding banners. “Henan Banks, return my savings!” they shouted in unison, many waving Chinese flags, in videos shared with CNN by two protesters. Using national flags to show patriotism is a common strategy for protesters in China, where dissent is tightly suppressed. The tactic is intended to show that their grievances are only against local governments and that they support and rely on the central government to seek redress. “Against the corruption and violence of the Henan government,” read a banner written in English. A large portrait of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong was affixed to a pillar at the bank’s entrance. Across the street, hundreds of police and security personnel — some in uniform and some in civilian clothes — gathered and surrounded the site as protesters called them “gangsters.”

Violent repression

The standoff lasted several hours until 11 a.m., when lines of security officers suddenly rushed up the stairs and clashed with the protesters, who threw bottles and other small objects at them. The scene quickly turned into chaos as security officers dragged protesters down the stairs and beat those who resisted, including women and the elderly, according to witnesses and videos on social media. A woman from the eastern province of Shandong told CNN she was pushed to the ground by two security guards, who twisted and injured her arm. A 27-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzhen, surnamed Sun, said he was kicked to the ground by seven or eight guards before being dragged away. A 45-year-old man from the central city of Wuhan said his shirt was completely torn in the back during the fight. Many said they were shocked by the sudden outburst of violence by security forces. “I didn’t expect them to be so violent and shameless this time. There was no communication, no warning before they brutally dispersed us,” said a witness from a metropolis outside Henan who had protested in Zhengzhou before and asked CNN to hide the name for security reasons. “Why should civil servants beat us? We are ordinary people asking for our deposits back, we have done nothing wrong,” said the woman from Shandong. Protesters were herded into dozens of buses and sent to makeshift detention centers across the city — from hotels and schools to factories, according to people taken there. Some injured were taken to hospitals. Many were released from custody by late afternoon, the people said. CNN has reached out to the Henan provincial government for comment. The Zhengzhou Business District Police Station — which has jurisdiction over the protest site — hung up on CNN’s call seeking comment. Late Sunday night, Henan’s banking regulator issued a brief statement, saying “relevant departments” are accelerating efforts to verify information about customer funds at the four rural banks. “(Authorities) are drawing up a plan to address the issue, which will be announced in the near future,” the statement said.

Shattered lives

The protest comes at a politically sensitive time for the ruling Communist Party, just months before leader Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term in a key meeting this autumn. Large-scale protests over lost savings and damaged livelihoods could be seen as a political embarrassment for Xi, who has promoted a nationalist vision of leading the country into a “great rejuvenation”. The Henan authorities are under tremendous pressure to stop the protests. But depositors remain undeterred. As the issue drags on, many have become increasingly desperate to recover their savings. Huang, the depositor from Wuhan, lost his job in the medical cosmetology industry this year as businesses struggled in the pandemic. However, he is unable to withdraw any of his life savings — more than 500,000 yuan ($75,000) — from a rural bank in Henan. “Being unemployed, all I can live on is my previous savings. But I can’t even do that now — how am I supposed to (support my family)?” said Huang, whose son is in high school. Sun, from Shenzhen, is struggling to keep his machine factory from bankruptcy after he lost his 4 million yuan ($597,000) deposit with a Henan bank. He can’t even pay his more than 40 employees without the funds. Sun said he was covered in bruises and had a swollen lower back after being repeatedly tackled by security guards at the protest. “The incident completely turned my perception of the government upside down. I lived my whole life with so much faith in the government. After today, I will never trust it again,” he said.