While garbage strikes are relatively common news, one rarely hears of garbage riots. But the announced construction of an extremely unpopular hazardous and medical waste incineration plant in the township of Beishan in China’s Hunan province led to just that.

Despite assurances from officials that the 180 million yuan (U.S. $28 million) plant will meet European emission standards, many Beishan residents remain skeptical and are disturbed by the plant’s proposed location immediately above the reservoir that serves as the town’s water supply. Around 10,000 protestors flooded the streets, and many wound up in the hospital after clashes with riot police.

Opposition to the plant began peacefully with a kind of “kneel-in,” where protestors literally pled en masse on their knees before the township government. That led to the arrest of the protest leaders. When protestors took their complaint to the vice mayor, he denied any responsibility and refused to release the leaders, leading protestors to drag him from the building and beat him senseless. Things escalated from there.

And you think you have problems when people call complaining about the smell from your facility.

Source: The Epoch Times