Another Report of Rural Unrest in China

Perhaps Mao was right about one thing: the cradle of revolution is the peasant class. I have to think that if the crude old thug were still alive today, he’d probably see things the same way. The unrest is neither sporadic nor isolated:

Such scenes of frustration are occurring with increasing frequency across rural China as villagers rise up against corruption, pollution and the seizure of land for real estate development. With little faith in local officials or the weak legal system, violence often is considered the only way to air their grievances.

“One senses a kind of abandonment of faith by the population in the local authorities,” said Robin Munro, research director for the Hong Kong-based activist group China Labor Bulletin. “It seems to have reached a tipping point.”

Communist Party officials say they’re concerned and want disputes handled peacefully. Yet local authorities still have broad latitude in dealing with such incidents. Often, their response is indifference, leading to frustration, violence and bloodshed.