The Chinese government once again filled the streets of Shanghai and Beijing today with uniformed and undercover security officers in response to calls for protests over the Internet. Let me restate that so it's clear just how juicy this is: Some people on the Internet said there was going to be a protest, so the government of the world's #2 economy flooded city streets with thugs to harass random people, demand papers from foreigners, chase off journalists, and arrest anyone who might be a protester...twice. Hehehe.
It costs the opposition nothing, but every time the Chinese government does this it interferes with business, tourism, and makes it look increasingly petty and paranoid. Maybe next time there will be fewer police because Beijing won't anticipate much of a response - of course, that would risk letting the floodgates fly wide open. But hey, maybe they'll keep making the same show of force...over...and over...and over...until nobody shows up on the streets - not protesters, not shoppers, not tourists. Nobody. Won't that be a brilliant PR move for the regime?
There were more police present in uniform and undercover, some with canine units, than are called to handle bomb scares in many countries. Foreigners at the Wangfujing Street shopping area in central Beijing, the announced meeting site, were stopped at every turn and asked for their passports. Police or their surrogates took several Western journalists away for questioning, turned back TV camera crews and reportedly shoved or assaulted at least three photographers. Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/...
Of course, not many protesters showed up today - but those few who did commanded the attention of a vast army of security personnel. I hope the opposition appreciates just how much the regime fears them. They just utter the word "protest," and a flock of goons descends, replete with attack dogs and "papiers bitte" ready on their lips. That's gotta be expensive after a while, interfering with the economy of a major city just to stop people from expressing themselves.
To any and all Chinese security personnel who may come to see this, please note that there is going to be a massive, colossal, gargantuan protest in Beijing on Wednesday....or was it Thursday? I can never keep this stuff straight in my head. Anyway, you have never seen anything like it. It is already in motion, and if you haven't heard of it yet, you're way behind the curve. Better get moving on your preparations. Really, dudes, you're totally fucked unless you deploy your most expensive troops into the streets and pay them overtime. I hear that some protesters will be masquerading as UN diplomats, so be sure to tell your guys to rough any up that they happen to see.
Oh, and don't worry about the loyalty of your police - I promise that the protesters don't have several mid-ranking commanders on their side planning to defend them and erect barricades against other security forces. Good luck with your internal investigations - spare no expense to find the disloyal elements!
But lest I forget, there's a gentle side to oppression too:
Wen, the premier, did not mention those events during his two-hour session of responding to carefully screened questions from the Chinese public on Sunday morning. But he did make a series of remarks that seemed designed to address growing frustration among many in China about the gap between the nation's haves and have-nots — a distinction often determined by relationships with those in power. He announced that the government is lowering its economic growth goals slightly during the next five years as part of a shift to better focus on helping citizens. Wen also pledged to fight against inflation, real estate speculation and corruption, all points of contention for everyday Chinese. (ibid)
Aww, Wen cares. Isn't that sweet? Just to show how much the Chinese people appreciate this gracious concession to their existence, there will not be a massive protest in Beijing on Wednesday. Or is it Thursday? Nope. No massive protest in Beijing on Wednesday and/or Thursday. When you look up Wednesday and/or Thursday in the dictionary, "protest" will definitely not be listed among the synonyms. There is no need to have a massive security presence in Beijing on Wednesday and/or Thursday. In fact, no need for any security presence whatsoever, because there is absolutely no chance of a protest on Wednesday and/or Thursday in Beijing. And there will be no planeloads of pro-democracy leaflets going to be dropped on Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shenyang, and Chongqing, so there is absolutely no reason to put the Chinese air force on high alert. I repeat: No reason to put the Chinese air force on high alert on Wednesday and/or Thursday.
Come to think of it, there is also no need to secure the borders on Wednesday and/or Thursday either - there are no plans to free political prisoners and smuggle them across the borders. In addition, there is no need - repeat, no need - for the Chinese government to expel all foreigners from China in preparation for Wednesday and/or Thursday, because (as I said), there will not be massive protests, nor planeloads of pro-democracy leaflets, nor highly coordinated assaults on prisons to rescue political prisoners and help them escape across China's borders. None of that is going to happen, so no security precautions are necessary.
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Anyway, for the rest of us, keep this in mind: China is the last, best hope for tyrants and oligarchs worldwide to remain relevant in the 21st century. It is where the people assaulting our democracy here in the United States do their business. If it goes democratic, their world is over. My advice to Chinese democracy activists - make the bastards do this over, and over, and over until everyone is sick of them and they're sick of themselves. Make them paranoid. Make them nervous. Make them afraid that even a single blade of grass without a security officer hiding beneath it will become the catalyst of democratic revolution. And then...prove them right.
Poll 19 votes Show Results All set for Wednesday and/or Thursday? I'm going Tuesday and/or Wednesday. Commence Operation "Gaslight The Politburo" Roger, Tango Foxtrot, we are go for de-Communization Yes and/or No. No and/or Yes. Can't. My you-know-what is stuck you-know-where. Abort! Abort! We are out of Cheetos. Repeat: Out of Cheetos. 19 votes Vote Now! All set for Wednesday and/or Thursday? I'm going Tuesday and/or Wednesday. 11% 2 votes Commence Operation "Gaslight The Politburo" 26% 5 votes Roger, Tango Foxtrot, we are go for de-Communization 5 5% 1 vote Yes and/or No. 21% 4 votes No and/or Yes. 0% 0 votes Can't. My you-know-what is stuck you-know-where. 5 5% 1 vote Abort! Abort! We are out of Cheetos. Repeat: Out of Cheetos. 32% 6 votes
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