The videos said it all, people protesting as police dragged away young and old of every age and description. There were scuffles as some sought to break free from the cops, others did not resist but shouted out their anger and resentment.
这警察是真杀疯了
旁边是个人都打一顿
pic.twitter.com/x7JxJ8PfTL— 多伦多方脸 (@torontobigface) August 4, 2025
Such outbreaks are not widely seen in China where public demonstrations of any kind are either not allowed or strictly regulated. But this weekend, something broke in Jiangyou, Sichuan province bordering Xinjiang, that got people to protest.
江油，这个四川的小城，这两天成了现实版的“戏台”。剧情荒诞到让人怀疑，是谁在导演，是谁在编剧？
起因不过是一桩校园霸凌事件，一名少女被同龄人施暴，四分钟的视频像一根火柴，点燃了全城的愤怒。可愤怒并没有换来公正，而是换来了黑衣人和警棍。 pic.twitter.com/hJUdGix3jm— 真相傳媒 (@TruthMedia123) August 4, 2025
It was a school bullying case: a 14-year-old girl of deaf and mute parents surnamed Lai, was lured by three schoolmates into an unfinished building and held there for four hours during which she was beaten, verbally abused, and threatened. The perpetrators, all girls between the ages of 13 and 15, filmed it. Why they did it is not clear.
The footage later surfaced online and went viral, showing the young victim’s bruises and trauma in graphic detail. Public fury hit its peak on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, when local police finally released a statement. But many saw it as too little, too late.
Reports suggested the bullies had ties to powerful officials, and that sparked even more outrage. Citizens took to the streets in large numbers, demanding justice for Lai and “Punish the bullies!”.
The authorities responded to the protests by deploying heavily armed police, but the crackdown only intensified public outrage. Viral videos showed demonstrators being loaded into trucks typically used for transporting livestock. The footage sparked widespread backlash and inspired a meme that quickly spread on Weibo, a cartoon pig driving a caged truck filled with furious men, a pointed jab at corrupt officials.
In Chinese political satire, a pig is often used to mockingly represent corrupt or oppressive officials. The pig in a hard hat may suggest a bureaucrat or enforcer of authority cold, indifferent and in control. The angry expressions of those held captive imply that they are being forcibly transported or detained against their will.
A verified handle on Weibo posted “what is this way of carrying people?”
As hashtags related to the Jiangyou protest trended on Chinese social media, particularly Weibo, the censors stepped in and within minutes, the protest topic vanished from the trending list. The posts were either buried or deleted entirely.
On the ground, people were heard shouting at the police to “serve the people!”, while others threw stones at them. There were calls urging “zero tolerance for bullying”, implying justice for Lai and also suggesting a veiled critique of China’s Communist Party that is seen as behind the climate of intimidation, censorship and unchecked power.
Witnesses also claimed that special police forces and signal-jamming equipment were deployed to cut off communication in the area. Yet the resistance persisted. Protesters included young students, elderly citizens and entire families.
Some tried to block police vehicles or prevent fellow demonstrators from being dragged away. Videos of Sichuan Police dragging away these students and beating them went viral on Weibo.
Research Associate at StratNewsGlobal, A keen observer of #China and Foreign Affairs. Writer, Weibo Trends, Analyst.
Twitter: @resham_sng
