Shifang protest

Shifang protest
Shifang protest
	Shifang Beijing Location of Shifang (China)
Date	1 July 2012–3 July 2012
Location	Shifang, Sichuan province; People's Republic of China; 31°20′N 104°12′E / 31.333°N 104.200°E
Goals	Suspension of the Sichuan Hongda Co. copper smelting plant
Parties
Shifang local government; Sichuan Hongda Co. Ltd.;	Students, residents of Shifang and surrounding areas

The Shifang protest was a large-scale environmental protest in the southwestern Chinese city of Shifang, Sichuan province, against a copper plant that residents feared posed environmental and public health risks. The protests spanned July 1-3 2012, and drew thousands of participants. Police were dispatched to break up the demonstrations, and reportedly shot tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd. Chinese authorities said some protesters stormed a government building and smashed vehicles.^[1] Images and video of the protest circulated on the microblogs and social networking websites throughout China, some showing the protesters — many of them students — badly beaten.^[1] The protests ended late on July 3rd when the local government announced that it had terminated construction of the metals plant, and released all but six protesters who had been taken into custody.^[2]

The protest was notable for its size and the composition of its participants, as well as for its success in derailing the copper plant project.^[3] It was one of a growing number of large-scale environmental protests in China that achieved success.^[4]

^ ^a ^b Brian Spegele, Quiet returns to once restive Shifang Archived 2020-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, 4 July 2012.
^ Caixin Online, Timeline of Shifang Protests Archived 2012-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, 5 July 2012.
^ Stanley Lubman, China’s Young and Restless Could Test Legal System Archived 2017-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, 16 July 2012.
^ Keith Bradsher, Bolder Protests Against Pollution Win Project’s Defeat in China Archived 2019-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 4 July 2012.

[WSJ2-1] Brian Spegele, Quiet returns to once restive Shifang Archived 2020-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, 4 July 2012.

[Caixin-2] Caixin Online, Timeline of Shifang Protests Archived 2012-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, 5 July 2012.

[WSJ-3] Stanley Lubman, China’s Young and Restless Could Test Legal System Archived 2017-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, 16 July 2012.

[NYT-4] Keith Bradsher, Bolder Protests Against Pollution Win Project’s Defeat in China Archived 2019-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 4 July 2012.

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