The protests of depositors of Chinese banks led to clashes with the police
According to Iran Economist from Associated Press, a large crowd of angry Chinese bank depositors faced police action on Sunday local time.
Hundreds of people held banners and chanted on the wide steps at the entrance of the Central Bank of China branch in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, about 620 kilometers southwest of Beijing. A video taken by a protester shows plainclothes security teams throwing water bottles and other objects into the crowd.
Videos later posted on social media showed an unspecified number of protesters being pushed down by security teams wearing white or black T-shirts. The phone calls of the news agencies to Zhengzhou city officials and the police of Henan province in this regard remained unanswered.
The protesters are among thousands of customers who had opened accounts at six rural banks in Henan and the neighboring province of Anhui, which offered higher interest rates. After the media reported that the head of the parent company of the banks had fled and announced his financial crimes, they realized that they could not withdraw their funds.
Then, these protests took on more serious dimensions due to the special program for tracing the corona virus in China. Many of those who went to Zhengzhou to petition the authorities found that their health status was red on the schedule and were prevented from traveling. Some reported being questioned by police about why they were in town after checking into their hotel.
According to Associated Press, protesters gathered in front of the People’s Bank of China building in Zhengzhou before dawn on Sunday local time. Footage shows police cars with flashing lights in the early morning darkness.
In addition to uniformed police, groups of people in plain T-shirts have also been reported. A bank official and a local government official tried to talk to the protesting people, but their attempts to talk to the crowd’s protests failed.
The police then informed the protesters that the gathering was illegal and that they would be arrested and fined if they did not return. According to the Associated Press, around 10 am, men wearing T-shirts rushed into the crowd and dispersed them.
Protesters have claimed to have been bussed to different locations and forced to sign a letter guaranteeing that they will not gather again.
Late on Sunday, the banking officials of Henan State published a short notice on their website and announced that the authorities are speeding up the verification of customers’ funds in four banks and formulating a plan to resolve this situation to protect the rights and interests of the people.