Fuzhou bomber gets a martyr status - Victor Shih

The blasts, two deaths and six wound is the toll of a bomb attack by the disgruntled farmer in Fuzhou last night, who had been petitioning the government in vain. Political analyst Victor Shih notes in his weblog how the bomber - against all odds - turned into a martyr at the internet.

Victor Shih:

What's really striking is that the perpetrator seems to be a farmer who had petitioned through both the courts and the petition system for over ten  years. In fact, he had his own weibo account, which recounts his ordeals. In the end, he apparently took matters into his own hand. On the Chinese weibo-sphere, users almost universally lauded his actions as justified! (His weibo account is: http://weibo.com/1773401361) I venture to guess that the leaders in Beijing may be more disturbed by his martyr status than by the bombing itself. For us political scientists, the may be a watershed event in the rightful resistance model developed by Kevin O'Brien and Li Lianjiang.

More at his weblog.

Victor Shih is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch.

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