Chinese citizens, in an unusual move, took to social media to complain about the illegal shame parading of suspected COVID rule-breakers in Southern China by authorities there, saying the event harkens back to the bad days of the Cultural Revolution in China.
“On Tuesday, four people wearing hazmat suits, face masks and goggles were paraded in Jingxi city, Guangxi province — each carrying placards showing their names and photos on their chest and back, according to videos shared on social media and republished by state media outlets,” reported CNN.
The four were suspected helping people cross China’s borders illegally, thus breaking COVID quarantine.
“As an old Chinese saying: to kill a chicken in order to frighten a monkey!” said one Twitter user. “These people will get minimum 7 years prison time…up to death penalty.”
guangxi province baisejingxi city ( china-vietnam border town)
As an old Chinese saying: to kill a chicken in order to frighten a monkey!
These people will get minimum 7 years prison time…up to death penalty.
2021.12.28 pic.twitter.com/ZmUikUCJ0k— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) December 28, 2021
Previously, public shaming had been outlawed in China after abuses during the Cultural Revolution led to widespread distaste for the practice.
“The notorious parades were a common practice during the Cultural Revolution,” said the U.K.’s Guardian. “In the 1980s, when China initiated a crackdown on criminal offences, public shaming was made a part of the execution process.”
This is not the first time that parade shaming has happened this year in Jingxi.
“Other suspects accused of illicit smuggling and human trafficking have also been paraded in recent months, according to reports on the Jingxi government website,” said Australia’s ABC.net. “Videos of a similar parade in November showed a crowd of people watching two prisoners being held while a local official read out their crimes on a microphone.”
China is on heightened security because they will host the Olympics in Beijing in February. Recent surges in COVID globally have threatened the viability of the games.
Already faced with a diplomatic boycott of the games over human rights abuses, Beijing now must reckon with athletes withdrawing from the games due to COVID when the National Hockey League announced it would not allow its players to participate.
People in hazmat suits, frog-marched through town, however, will not burnish China’s image no matter what else happens.
