Mass Protest Erupts in China Over School Bullying

Name: Mass Protest Erupts in China Over School Bullying
Uploaded: 2025-08-06T11:10:05.000Z
Description: Public dissent runs deep, tracing back to years of suppression and human rights abuses under the Chinese Communist Party's rule.

Public dissent runs deep, tracing back to years of suppression and human rights abuses under the Chinese Communist Party's rule.

Juliet Song&Mary Man

Published: 8/5/2025, 10:35:50 PM EDT

Thousands of protesters took part in a mass protest that broke out Tuesday in southwestern China.

Videos circulating online show police officers beating up and arresting protesters. It’s unclear how many have been arrested.

The protest was sparked by public anger over a school bullying incident.

On July 22, three girls surrounded a 14-year-old girl named Lai. They slapped her, kicked her, insulted her, and forced Lai to remove her top and kneel on the ground.

On Aug. 2, the incident that occurred in Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province, was video-recorded by onlookers and spread across the internet.

In the video, the bully said, "It's not like we haven't been there (to the police station) before—do you think we're afraid of you (reporting us)? We were released in less than 20 minutes!" These words went viral online.

Public outrage was quickly sparked.

On Aug. 4, a large crowd took to the streets to protest and later confronted a heavy police presence.

Cai Shenkun, an independent commentator, said on X that it is clear it's not the first time for the attackers to bully classmates, nor was it their first offense leading to a police station visit. The girls were fully aware that bullying classmates carried no real consequences.

"Being released in less than 20 minutes was not a lesson or correction for the bullies, but rather an implicit encouragement and leniency. This is also the primary reason why the people of Jiangyou took to the streets in anger," he said.

The Jiangyou City police issued a statement on the same day, saying that the assault left Lai with minor injuries, including bruises on her scalp, both knees, and other areas.

The three attackers—aged 15, 14, and 13—have been apprehended. The statement said, administrative penalties have been imposed on the two older girls, while the youngest and other onlookers were “criticized and educated,” with their guardians ordered to “enforce strict discipline.”

Punishment 'Too Lenient'

However, this response appears not to be enough to appease public anger.

Many believed the punishment was too lenient, especially given allegations that one of the bullies is the daughter of a communist official. Additionally, Lai had endured prolonged bullying, and her mother, who is said to be deaf, had repeatedly appealed to the authorities for justice, but to no avail.

NTD was unable to verify the attacker's connection to a communist official.

A large number of angry citizens continued to gather at the Jiangyou city regime building's site to seek justice for the victim during the day.

Two interviewees told The Epoch Times, NTD's sister media, that at least 1,000 people were present at the scene.

A video shows the victim’s parents kneeling before a man holding a megaphone, seemingly a local official, pleading for justice. However, the man doesn’t even glance at them.

Jiangyou City initially asked some protesters to enter the building for talks. Later, Mianyang City, a higher-level city administering Jiangyou, dispatched a large number of special police to violently suppress the protest.

Videos showed numerous protesters being arrested at the entrance of the Jiangyou city government building.

In the evening, protesters continued to gather, singing and chanting slogans in confrontation with the police.

Around midnight, police began a violent scene clearance, beating, arresting, and forcing citizens to retreat. The crowd threw stones, water bottles, and other objects at the police. At least dozens of protesters were arrested, and some were loaded into trucks typically used to transport pigs.

Witness Wang (a pseudonym) told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times, "The place was full of police. I myself saw three people being arrested, and many have already been detained."

She said the public only demanded an apology from the parents of the attackers, but the regime's reluctant response fueled public outrage.

"They keep arresting people on-site, and the police continue to disperse the crowd. But the public is clearly not backing down."

Another local resident said, "My friend just went to the scene. Many police were arresting people, and some citizens were beaten until they were covered in blood. My friend was scared and left the scene."

Widespread Discontent

China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times that school bullying incidents on the mainland have been very common in recent years, with some cases being even more severe, resulting in serious injuries or even deaths. However, none have sparked a social backlash as significant as the Jiangyou incident.

“This indicates that Chinese society under CCP control has become a highly dangerous powder keg, with dry tinder everywhere—a single spark could ignite a massive fire,” he said.

Another commentator, Qin Peng, echoing Tang’s opinion, said the speed and scale of the Jiangyou incident’s development far exceeded most people’s expectations. He believes the reason lies in the accumulation of widespread discontent in Chinese society over the years—social injustice and official abuse of power have fueled public anger.

"This represents a regime so fragile that a single spark or crack might lead to its collapse," he said.