The 2011 Zengcheng riot (6•11事件) began on June 10, 2011, in Xintang town (新塘镇), Zengcheng, Guangdong, China. The demonstrators were mainly migrant workers in Xintang.[1]
Background
On June 10, 2011, a 20-year-old pregnant woman named Wang Lianmei (王联梅) was manhandled by security personnel in front of a supermarket in Dadun village, Xintang. The security personnel was hired by the local government.[1] In the scuffle the woman fell to the ground and her husband Tang Xuecai (唐学才) was beaten. Both are from Sichuan.[2]
Riot
The incident started late Friday June 10 with the riot lasting several days at Xintang. By June 11 more than a thousand people participated. Cars were smashed, ATMs were broken into. Police were attacked.[3]
At around 9pm Sunday June 12 over 1,000 migrant workers began gathering. The demonstrators marched toward Phoenix city where ranks of police formed a human barricade.[1] Armed police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.[1] Thousands of rioters overturned police cars and set fire to local government offices.[1] About 25 people were arrested, and there were no deaths reported.[3][4]
