Embassy Violence: This time before Japanese, and by Chinese
Tokyo, (NVONews.Com), The scene is almost the same, but the venue not any city of the Muslim world. The issue too is totally different. It is China and Japan island dispute circa 2012 and embassy violence was perpetrated by Chinese
Thousands of Chinese marched towards Japanese Embassy in Beijing and over two dozen cities and towns of the country on Saturday to protest, what they said, Japan’s control of disputed islands.
At places they even turned violent. In Beijing they hurled rocks, eggs and bottles at the Japanese Embassy, tried to storm a metal barricade and clashed with Chinese paramilitary police before order was restored.
“Return our islands! Japanese devils get out!” rent the air. A placard said: “For the respect of the motherland, we must go to war with Japan.”
In Shanghai, about 200 security personnel cordoned off the streets leading to the Japanese Consulate. They, however, allowed protesters in groups of 100 to approach the building. Demonstrators had to register first with police.
In southern city of Changsha the demonstrators ransacked a Japanese-financed department store, Heiwado, and smashed a police car made by Mitsubishi and overturned another Japanese-model car. Attacks on Japanese companies and businesses were reported from other cities too.
According to Kyodo News agency of Japan more than 60,000 people protested in at least 28 Chinese cities on Saturday, making the anti-Japanese demonstrations the largest since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972.
Chinese official news agency, Xinhua, said big anti-Japan protests were also held in the Chinese cities of Xian, Nanjing and Qingdao.
Though the islands were in the possession of a Japanese businessman for last several decades, China saw their purchase by the Japanese government as an affront to its long claim.
Only on Friday Beijing briefly sent six surveillance ships into the disputed waters.
As Japan is heading for election the opposition, Liberal Democratic Party, which ruled for many years in the post-World War-II period, called for a tough stand against Beijing in the dispute.
Kyodo said protesters ransacked at least 10 Japanese restaurants in Suzhou and damaged a Jusco supermarket run by Japan’s Aeon group in Qingdao.
Smaller demonstrations had been staged in China throughout the week and more are likely to take place as Sep 18 marks the anniversary of 1931 Mukden Incident, which was used as a pretext by Japan to invade Manchuria and northern China. The day often triggers anti-Japanese sentiment throughout the country. It revives the bitter memories of Japan’s occupation of large part of China in in the 1930s and 1940s.
As tension grows Japanese foreign minister on Saturday cut short his visit to Australia and came back to Tokyo.
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