Posted on 05/13/2007 7:59:53 PM PDT by Wiz
BEIJING - A man threw a burning object at a portrait of Mao Zedong that hangs over Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, slightly damaging it and prompting police to close the nearby imperial palace, a news report said Sunday.
The man, identified as Gu Hai'ou, from the northwestern city of Urumqi, tried to burn the portrait of communist China's first leader on Saturday afternoon, the Xinhua News Agency said. Early Sunday, authorities replaced the portrait, which had a small scorch mark in the lower left corner.
"Armed police are guarding the area and visitors are forbidden to enter the Forbidden City," Xinhua said.
Gu, who is 35 and unemployed, was detained and was being questioned by police, Xinhua said. The report said he was treated last year in a mental hospital.
An officer who answered the phone at the Beijing police headquarters Sunday confirmed the report but refused to say whether Gu would face criminal charges or give other details. The man refused to give his name. Phone calls to the police station that oversees Tiananmen Square were not answered.
Portraits of Mao have hung on the Tiananmen Gate above the square since the 1950s.
In 1989, three men were detained for throwing red and black paint on the portrait during pro-democracy protests. They served more than 10 years in prison.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I guess it's getting late--but this struck me as particularly funny.
Maybe we should console the goverment officials by playing a sad, sad song for them on the worlds smallest violin. [sarcasm off]
There’s always next time.
Kinda of looks like Al Gore today.
I think it did, from I read of China’s discreet blogosphere.
It looks like Mao suffered from global warming.
LOL
It will go down in flames. That Mao was history’s worse rapist and murder is a truth that cannot remain hidden.
It will go down in flames. Mao was history’s worse rapist and murderer. The truth cannot remain hidden.
Hmmmm.....the natives are restless....
Yeah, better luck next time.
After all he did for The People ...
Talk about “balls of steel”
The man must make clank clank noises when he walks.
Good on him!
Wonder if they’ll find some patsy (like the Nazis did to Marinus Vanderlubbe), give him/her a show trial (like the Nazis did to Vanderlubbe), and then give them a public execution (not sure if Vanderlubbe’s beheading was public or private).
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