Stop violent demolitions

Brutal and coercive demolitions are outright unacceptable. It is a serious violation of human rights and against the basic principles of law. These incidents are even more intolerable amid public indignation that has challenged the State Council's regulations on demolition.

In an incident early Monday morning, 200 people armed with sticks and knives clashed with artists in Changdian village of suburban Beijing's Chaoyang district during a forceful demolition of an arts center. Eight artists were injured, including a Japanese person, in the clash. The artists in turn launched a protest against the barbarous demolition that afternoon.

The arts center was established in 2008. More than 100 artists from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as other countries rented houses from local villagers to create artworks and install galleries. Many of them have invested a lot of money in their studios and galleries.