China Middle-Class Protests Turn Violent After Petitions Ignored
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The first time Yan heard authorities planned a waste incinerator near her home in eastern China was when a petitioner gave her a leaflet warning of the pollutants it might spew into the environment.
Fearing that the burner might hurt her toddler’s health, the technology worker in Hangzhou petitioned the government to halt the project before joining hundreds of protesters near the proposed site on May 10. Violent clashes erupted as cars were overturned and police vehicles set on fire.