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Short Version (TLTR)
A recent car attack in Zhuhai, China, that killed 35 people has sparked public outcry and raised questions about a rise in indiscriminate violence linked to personal grievances. The driver, upset over a divorce settlement, ploughed into a crowd at a stadium. This incident follows a series of violent attacks in China, including stabbings and shootings in various cities. While authorities have vowed severe punishment, censorship has limited public discussion of the tragedy. Many online commentators have expressed concern over the societal pressures contributing to such violence, calling for deeper reflection on the root causes of these attacks.
Details
A car attack in Zhuhai, China, that killed 35 people has raised concerns about a recent rise in public violence, with officials censoring discussions about it.
Many people on social media are talking about the idea of “taking revenge on society,” where individuals attack strangers to express personal anger or frustration.
Police said the driver, who crashed into a crowd at a stadium on Monday night, was upset over a divorce settlement. This attack is believed to be one of the deadliest in China in decades and comes after other violent incidents, such as a stabbing spree in a Shanghai supermarket and a knife attack at a school in Beijing.
President Xi Jinping has promised harsh punishment for the driver, who is now in a coma from self-inflicted wounds. Many on Chinese social media are questioning whether the attack reflects deeper problems in society.
One comment that went viral on Weibo asked: “How can you take revenge on society because your personal life is not going well? You’ve taken so many innocent lives, will you ever feel at peace?”
Other users pointed out that a lack of job security and the pressure to survive might lead to more violence and fear in society. Some have called for a closer look at the social factors that lead to such random attacks.
Other violent incidents in China this year include a mass stabbing in Shandong that killed at least 21 people, a knife attack at a school in Beijing in October that injured five people, and a stabbing spree at a supermarket in Shanghai in September that killed three.
Many posts and articles about the Zhuhai incident have been censored in recent days as officials limit discussion of what is considered a politically sensitive topic. In China, it is common for censors to quickly remove social media posts related to high-profile crimes.
Despite this, emotional stories and questions about the incident continue to spread online, although the BBC has not been able to independently verify them.
One person shared that a family friend was killed during the attack while exercising with a walking group. The person expressed their grief, saying, “My mother is finding it hard to accept the loss of such a close friend. The more I witness her grief, the more I resent the cold-bloodedness of the murderer.”
This individual also criticized the media for “barely reporting” the attack while giving more attention to a military airshow happening in Zhuhai at the same time, adding, “In the eyes of those in power, aeroplanes are more important than human lives.”
Several Chinese media outlets have confirmed to the BBC that they were instructed not to report on the incident in the hours following the attack. When news outlets did release reports, they mainly focused on police statements and comments from President Xi Jinping.
Notably, state broadcaster CCTV did not mention the attack in its lead midday bulletin, instead covering Xi’s trip to South America and the airshow in Zhuhai. The main pages of China’s daily newspapers also did not report on the incident, which remains one of the deadliest acts of public violence in years.
Another widely circulated post came from someone whose mother was badly injured in the attack and is now in critical condition. They described how their father, who witnessed the attack, was heartbroken but trying to remain calm while responding to concerned phone calls. This person also criticized the lack of information in the hours following the incident, saying, “Up to 10 hours after it happened, there were no statistics on the casualties, no statements from the police.”
It took 24 hours for the authorities to release the full death toll of 35, and a hashtag mentioning the death toll was censored on the Weibo platform.