A local government official on the island of Hainan has resigned and seven people have been arrested after a shocking video clip showing men with batons beating women and children trying to stop their homes being demolished went viral in China.
In the video, helmeted men in black uniforms carrying nightsticks are seen beating two woman and at least one child as they huddle against a wall.
Elsewhere in the shot, a group of attackers surround a person and beat them mercilessly. People can be heard moaning and wailing as the attack happens.
The land had been sold already for development but the residents had constructed illegal buildings on the site.
Local government hired a team of over 1,200 law enforcement agents, including the much reviled city functionaries known as chengguan, policemen and firemen, to clear the village in Xiuying district near Haikou city.
Chinese media said the residents had let off fireworks and thrown rocks and gas canisters.
The head of the local government in the district, Huang Hongru, resigned over the incident, according to a report in The Paper.
The video was widely shared on social media in China.
“The villagers should be allowed to beat them bloody as punishment,” wrote one person before comments on the video were blocked.
Land disputes have long been a threat to stability in China as local government officials and unscrupulous developers seek to cash in on rising property prices, sometimes forcing people out of their homes without proper compensation.
While property prices have fallen in many parts of China as the economy cools, construction continues in the main centres such as Hainan, a popular holiday destination.
(The video is available to view here: Warning, contains scenes of violence)
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