Hundreds of rural bank customers in central China’s Henan province were swarmed, beaten and dragged away by a group of unidentified men on Sunday as they protested local government corruption amid a months-long freeze of their deposits.
Since mid-April, the depositors have been pressuring the Henan authorities to help recover savings from at least four small “village” banks that stopped withdrawals. The campaign attracted national attention last month after a planned demonstration in Henan’s capital, Zhengzhou, was thwarted by digital health codes that mysteriously turned red. After a nationwide outcry over misuse of the coronavirus-fighting system, the central government stepped in, punishing five local officials.
They also accused the government of working with the “mafia” to violently suppress protests. It’s unclear exactly why the banks have frozen withdrawals, but police are currently investigating Henan New Fortune Group, a shareholder of four banks, on suspicion of illegal fundraising, according to local media reports.
“I’ve been in shock from yesterday until today,” one protester said in an interview, asking to remain anonymous out of fear of official repercussions for talking to foreign media. He repeatedly described the men as “unidentified” but added “I never thought it could happen that officials could use this kind of violent beating against unarmed and defenseless regular people.”
Lao added that an “immune system” of media and the law should have prevented the depositors’ quest to retrieve their savings from descending into such brutal scenes. “This is a concrete display of there being a problem with the immune system: All normal pathways to seek relief are blocked. What’s scary is this might just be the start,” she said.
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