Anti-Japan protests in China swell, turn violent

Seatle Times ^ | 09/16/2012 | Didi Tang

[SeekAndFind]

Protests against Japan over its control of disputed islands spread across more than two dozen cities in China and turned violent at times Saturday, with protesters burning Japanese flags and clashing with Chinese paramilitary police at the Japanese Embassy before order was restored.

Thousands of protesters gathered in front of the embassy in Beijing. Hundreds tried to storm a metal barricade backed by riot police armed with shields, helmets and batons. Many threw rocks, bottles, eggs and traffic cones at the embassy.

The embassy said protesters around the country set fire to Japanese factories, sabotaged assembly lines, looted department stores and illegally entered Japanese businesses.

"We express regret over what has happened today and ask the Chinese government to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens and businesses in China," it said in a statement.

Anti-Japanese sentiment, never far from the surface in China, has been building for weeks, touched off by moves by Tokyo and fanned by a feverish campaign in Chinese state media. Passions grew more heated this past week after the Japanese government purchased the contested East China Sea islands from their private Japanese owners.

Japan's Kyodo News agency said more than 60,000 people protested in at least 28 Chinese cities, making the anti-Japanese demonstrations the largest since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972. The protests were expected to continue Sunday.

Although Japan has controlled the uninhabited islands — called Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese — for decades, China saw the purchase as an affront to its claim and as further proof of Tokyo's refusal to negotiate over them.

[SeekAndFind]

[BenLurkin]

[USAF80]

The Mayan prophecy may come true after all.

[Vaquero]

this is political....it is backed by the govt...who wont admit it.

but I worked with a Chinese Phd who was a child in China during the Rape of Nanking. there was no love lost between him and the japanese...He would NEVER buy a Japanese car and he grumbled curses under his breath anytime someone mentionioned Japan.

[Flag_This]

"but I worked with a Chinese Phd who was a child in China during the Rape of Nanking. there was no love lost between him and the japanese."

But he was good with the Chinese gov't killing 30+ million Chinese?

[Vaquero]

his family left when the commies took over....

no love lost with the commies either.

[Bluestocking]

The riots have been ‘’fanned by a feverish campaign in Chinese state media’’ because China’s ruling elite is eager to deflect its citizens’ anger at China’s poor economy away from itself and toward an outside ‘’enemy.’’

Arab regimes are doing the same during their hard economic times by targeting America. The Obama regime tried to do the same last year by promoting Occupy Wall Street to deflect anger against its failed economic policies onto Wall Street bankers, especially the Jewish ones.

The demonstrations will not disappear until the global economy improves, and it won’t improve until the failed president of the U.S., the world’s largest and most influential economy, is removed from office and new pro-growth policies are enacted.

[Gay State Conservative]

Japan should close its ports to Chinese made goods.That’ll shut those Commies up!

[blueunicorn6]

This was all started when a film clip of the Japanese made movie GODZILLA EATS PEKING showed up on YouTube.

[Moleman]

I also no many Chinese who simply loatrh the japs