Protests erupted in Sichuan’s Jiangyou City over authorities’ mishandling of the brutal bullying of a 14-year-old girl, sparking violent police crackdowns and renewed scrutiny of systemic failures in addressing juvenile violence.

By Three Gorges Probe and Probe International

Various news sources, including Radio Free Asia and The Epoch Times, alongside viral footage on X, confirm protests erupted in Sichuan’s Jiangyou City on August 4–5, as citizens rallied against authorities’ mishandling of a 14-year-old bullying victim—sparking a police crackdown and scrubbed social media posts.

On July 22, a Jiangyou junior high student from a low-income family was brutally attacked by female peers who beat her, stripped her dignity, stole her phone, and sold it. Leaked footage of the attack filmed by bystanders was circulated via the short-video platforms Douyin and Kuaishou on August 2 showing the victim being slapped, forced topless, and made to kneel. When she threatens to call police, one of the girls mock, ‘Is that a threat?’—another boasts prior detentions by police but quick releases after less than 20 minutes.

Allegations later swirled online that the attackers, aged 13, 14 and 15, were the daughters of a Communist Party official, a lawyer, and a police inspector. Authorities scrambled with denials, issuing a statement describing two of the parents as unemployed, two as working outside of the province, one as a local salesperson, and another as a local delivery driver. Authorities punished two individuals for allegedly “spreading rumors” online, with police accusing their posts of “seriously” disrupting public order and causing “bad social impact”.

Public outrage exploded over perceived slap-on-the-wrist punishments for the bullies, fueled by reports of the girl’s long-term torment at the hands of her attackers and her mother’s tearful pleas for accountability. A viral video showed the girl’s mother, said to be deaf, on her knees pleading for justice before what appears to be a local official, who does not even look at her, before passing out.

The case has echoed widespread fears over China’s lax handling of school violence, igniting online fury that spilled into protests at Jiangyou’s government offices. On August 4, over 1,000 demonstrators flooded the streets, persisting past midnight. A local shopkeeper told BBC News reporters that police had unleashed batons and electric prods in a “bloody crackdown”—a scene the BBC noted was verified by footage of officers dragging and beating protesters. Witnesses reported water bottles hurled at police amid the chaos.

Activist Jennifer Zeng of the online news channel, Inconvenient Truths, revealed netizens had doxxed police officers and officials believed to be behind the crackdown on protesters, stating: “Chinese people are more determined than ever to hold [authorities] accountable.” Zeng released a 37-minute video of the protests in Jiangyou as events unfolded, following citizens as they sought answers from officials at government offices before spilling onto the streets. Among the chants for justice, people shout “Give us back our democracy!”, demanding officials to “step down”. [The video “Jiangyou Incident” is available at the end of this report in Chinese and here with English subtitles].

Well-known political satirist Rebel Pepper published a cartoon to his X account, highlighting the decision by police to use pig trucks to detain protesters, rather than cheaper police cars; a manifestation he wrote of “love at all costs, demonstrating the police’s deep respect for the demonstrators.”

(Cartoon ◎ Author: Rebel Pepper. Image source : X, @RebelCartoon）

This latest incident underscores China’s struggle to address juvenile violence and public distrust in governance, with bullying remaining a volatile social tinderbox. Cases such as the 2024 murder of Wang Ziyao by classmates and the 2020 Shaanxi dormitory death protests (which sparked accusations of a cover-up by authorities) highlight the need for harsher penalties for bullies and legal reforms.

A Shanghai-based lawyer, who did not wish to be named, warned online that the case has exposed a policy trap for Beijing:

“The penalty for causing minor injuries is too mild, while the physical and mental trauma suffered by victims is overlooked by the law, which leads to a significant imbalance in the protection of their rights,” he wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

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