In a case that has received attention due to earlier attempts to deploy a COVID-19 tracking app to prevent them from mobilizing, a sizable group of irate Chinese bank depositors engaged in a confrontation with police on Sunday, some of whom were roughed up as they were carried away.
Around 620 kilometers (380 miles) southwest of Beijing, in the city of Zhengzhou in the province of Henan, hundreds of protesters held up banners and chanted slogans on the wide steps of the entrance of a branch of the Chinese central bank. A protester's video captures plainclothes security teams charging the throng while being hit with water bottles and other things.
Protests Spark Due to Zhengzhou Bank Scam
Later footage shared on social media shows undetermined numbers of demonstrators being pushed individually downstairs and forward by security crews wearing unadorned white or black T-shirts. Police in Henan province and Zhengzhou city were not reached by phone.
Thousands of people opened accounts at six rural banks in Henan and the nearby province of Anhui that provided higher interest rates, including the demonstrators. Following media rumors that the CEO of the bank's parent firm was missing and wanted for financial crimes, they subsequently discovered they were unable to withdraw their money.
Last month, the misuse of the COVID-19 tracking program turned what had been a local problem into a national one. When many of them left for Zhengzhou to urge regulators to take action, they discovered that their health status on the app had changed to red, barring them from traveling. After they checked into their hotel, some claimed that police had inquired about their travel plans. Later, five Zhengzhou officials were disciplined.
In front of the People's Bank of China building in Zhengzhou, the demonstrators gathered early on Sunday. Videos captured in the early morning darkness show police cars with flashing lights. By 8 am, police had blocked off the street and had begun massing on the opposing side, according to Fox News.
Failed Bank Withdrawal
VOA News reported, the three banks are under investigation and the frozen deposits might be valued up to $1.5 billion. On Sunday, almost a thousand people rallied in front of the China Central Bank's Zhengzhou branch to demand action.
One demonstrator, 40-year-old Zhang, stated, "I feel so resentful that I can't even convey it to you. Zhang claimed that he had hoped to recover $25,000 that had been put with one of the banks, the Zhecheng Huanghuai Community Bank, for around 170,000 yuan.
Zhang claimed that he was hauled away by four unidentified security personnel at around lunchtime with injuries to his foot and thumb. According to him, security agents outnumbered demonstrators by about three to one.
According to ABC News, over a thousand depositors from all across the nation had intended to congregate in Zhengzhou last month to try to withdraw their money but were unable to do so because their COVID-19 health codes, which govern whether one can travel, changed to a no travel condition.
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