The Embassy Bombing
Marchers try to
break down
consulate door
MATTHEW MILLER in Guangzhou
Protests turned violent in Guangzhou last night
as demonstrators and police clashed at the
German consulate.
The trouble came after more than 1,000
protesters broke through a barricade sealing off
the Shamian diplomatic district and marched
towards the American Consulate.
They were stopped by anti-riot police, who
chased them away, and instead gathered
outside the German Consulate and tried to
break down the front doors.
Although dozens of police were present, they
initially did not try to stop the protesters.
Anti-riot police intervened half-an-hour later.
Many of the protesters appeared to be
workers, in contrast to demonstrations earlier
in the day.
Then, tens of thousands of students from
univesities in Guangzhou braved a continuous
downpour to condemn the Nato bombing.
They first gathered outside the Gitic Building,
home to the consulates of Britain, France, the
Netherlands and Italy and then marched to the
US Consulate in Shamian.
They were joined by another procession
turned away from the China Hotel, home to
the Danish and Canadian consulates. "Combat
hegemonism", "Combat Nato" and "Blood
debts are paid in blood" were among the cries
of the demonstrators.
Chen Weizhong of the Guangzhou Agriculture
School, said: "It's a crime of Nato and
imperialism.
"Hegemonism will be defeated by the people
of the world."
Police officers wearing anti-riot gear ringed the
American consulate, 100 metres west of the
White Swan Hotel. Groups of protesters
marched past the consulate in order. Some
students threw eggs at the consulate.
Guan Lihui, a man in his 60s, tried to
approach the consulate but was stopped by
police.
He said: "When I was 16, I took part in the
Korean War and killed many invaders. I want
to let them know we Chinese are heroes and
are not afraid of hegemonism."
Tong Guoqiang, from Guangzhou Petroleum
College, said: "This was a deliberate
provocation and every Chinese should stand
up and say 'no' and 'stop'. We cannot stand
this."
Social organisations, academics, official
trade unions, lawyers' associations and
political parties friendly to the
Communist Party joined the chorus to
express their indignation against the
bombing.
In one meeting of scientists held in
Beijing, Liu Guangding, of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, said the bombing
was "well and elaborately planned".
Xinhua quoted the 70-year-old
geophysicist as saying the attack could
not be accidental. "It is impossible to
attack a target from three different angles
without careful, prior preparations," he
said.
Nato has said the pilot targeted the
building on faulty information.