China: Violent protests after Pucheng student falls to his death

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which verified videos, a teenager's death in a city in northwest China has sparked violent protests. These videos, circulating on social media, show protesters in Pucheng County, Shaanxi Province, throwing objects at police, while police are seen beating some of the demonstrators.

Officials stated that the teenager died in an accidental fall at his school dormitory on January 2nd. However, after his death, accusations of a cover-up began circulating on social media. Protests subsequently erupted and continued for several days, before appearing to subside earlier this week. Since then, the BBC has seen no evidence of further protests in Pucheng County.

Public demonstrations are not uncommon in China, but authorities have been particularly sensitive to such events since the "White Paper Movement" against COVID policies in 2022. During that movement, the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping faced rare criticism. Official media has remained silent about the Pucheng protests. Any footage or mention of the demonstrations, as usual, has been heavily censored on Chinese social media, as authorities deem these events sensitive.

Despite this, some videos have leaked from China and been posted on the X platform. The BBC has confirmed that these videos were taken at the Pucheng Vocational Education Center, and no earlier versions were found online before the reported protests broke out in the past few days. When the BBC contacted the Pucheng government's propaganda department, a representative denied that any protests had taken place. When we called the official in charge of media inquiries, no one answered.

Earlier this week, local authorities released a statement identifying the teenager, surnamed Dang, as a third-year student at the Pucheng Education Center. The statement said that Dang was awakened by other students chatting in his dormitory before his death. He had an argument and physical altercation with a male student, which was resolved by a school official. Later that day, another student found his body at the foot of the dormitory building. The statement described it as “an accidental fall from height by a student at school,” adding that police had conducted an investigation and autopsy, and “a criminal case has been ruled out.”

But for days, more accounts of the incident have been circulating online, accusing the school and authorities of covering up the truth. One unverified claim states that Dang died by suicide after being bullied by the male student involved in the earlier altercation. There are also unverified claims circulating from his family, stating that the injuries on Dang's body did not match the official account, and that they were not allowed to examine his body for long. These accusations appear to have angered many in Pucheng, sparking protests involving at least hundreds of people.

In recent years, school bullying has become a highly sensitive topic in China, and past student deaths have triggered protests. Last month, a Chinese court handed down lengthy sentences to two teenagers who murdered a classmate. Additionally, videos posted on X on Monday, which the BBC verified were taken at the Pucheng Vocational Education Center, show people mourning the teenager's death. They placed flowers and offerings at the school gate and held a traditional mourning ceremony by throwing paper from the school building's roof.

Other videos circulating online appear to show many young people storming a building and clashing with police while shouting "Give us the truth." A verified video shows a school official being surrounded and pushed by loudly protesting demonstrators. Other videos show offices inside the campus being vandalized, and protesters pushing over barriers at the school's entrance. There are also videos showing protesters throwing items such as traffic cones at retreating police; police are seen using batons to subdue and detain people, with some protesters seen with blood on their heads and faces.

Information about what happened next is scarce, but social media reports suggest that police presence in Pucheng has greatly increased in recent days, and there have been no more reports of demonstrations. Authorities have also urged the public not to "create, believe, or spread rumors."