Demolition dilemma

A man in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, brandished a homemade gun to stop demolishers from tearing down his house forcibly. The incident took place just a few weeks after the State Council issued a document, asking local governments to demolish structures only through lawful means and after paying reasonable compensation to displaced people and arranging for their rehabilitation.

The villager, who insisted he was using fireworks, said he took the extreme step after he had read relevant laws and policies and was convinced that he deserved a lot more than the amount offered to him as compensation by the developer.

Once he lost his land he would not be able to eke out a living, he said. He was sure that he had not asked for more than he deserved, and said that he would defend his house until he got justice.