Police announced the arrest in China of a “
criminal group
” suspected of being behind banks with questionable practices, after a demonstration of aggrieved savers violently dispersed Sunday in the center of the country.
Weakened by the economic slowdown, four banks in Henan province have suspended all cash withdrawals since mid-April, taking thousands of small savers by surprise.
A situation that has since given rise to sporadic demonstrations.
“Corruption” and “violence”
One of the most important brought together several hundred people on Sunday in front of a branch of the Central Bank of China, in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, according to several participants who requested anonymity from AFP.
Local authorities have not commented on these events but the police of Xuchang, a locality in Henan, announced on Sunday the arrest of a villainous group acting in local finance.
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According to the police, the group had controlled several local banks since 2011 and made “
illegal
” transfers through fictitious loans.
The statement did not specify the number of people arrested and made no direct link to the protest on Sunday.
According to footage verified by AFP, banners accused local authorities of "
corruption
" and police of "
violence
" at previous rallies.
Power kills all contestation
In a video shot on Sunday, a man with a swollen eye says he was beaten by "
thugs
" and boarded a bus by law enforcement.
A demonstrator told AFP of protesters "
beaten
" and "
injured
" by unidentified individuals.
Other images show protesters resisting an onslaught of people in civilian clothes, and throwing plastic bottles.
Demonstrations in China are relatively rare, in a country where maintaining social stability is an obsession and where power generally nips any protest in the bud.
Out of desperation, however, some Chinese do not hesitate to take to the streets, despite the risk of arrest and prosecution.
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Last month, authorities in Henan came under fire after they allegedly manipulated health passes to prevent further protests.
Some saw it as a form of collusion between the local authorities and the offending banks.
The health pass is required in China to access the vast majority of buildings, shopping centers, public places but also certain transport.