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Thousands of Chinese Protest Government's Flood Response


FILE - A volunteer (R) transporting boxes of food supplies on an inflatable raft, falls into the water after being pushed by a man (2nd R) as other people look on, on a flooded street during a supply shortage after Typhoon Fitow hit Yuyao, October 9, 2013.
FILE - A volunteer (R) transporting boxes of food supplies on an inflatable raft, falls into the water after being pushed by a man (2nd R) as other people look on, on a flooded street during a supply shortage after Typhoon Fitow hit Yuyao, October 9, 2013.
Chinese police have arrested several demonstrators in an eastern province who were protesting what they saw as a weak government response to recent floods.

The Global Times said on Wednesday that the protesters were arrested for "radical acts, including throwing bricks at police and tipping over government vehicles."

Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday outside the city government office in Zhejiang province's Yuyao city. They were met by hundreds of special forces and armed policemen.

Pictures posted on social media showed some of the protesters with bloodied heads. Many of the pictures and references to the protest were later removed by Internet censors.

Cai Qi, a provincial Communist Party leader, called for residents to restraint from radical acts and said that local officials have been "trying their best" to provide disaster relief.

Zhejiang experienced its worst flooding in decades last week after being hit by Typhoon Fitow. The storm knocked out power for millions and caused billions of dollars in damages.

Chinese citizens have increasingly expressed their displeasure with government policies at protests like this across China, with complaints ranging from official corruption to industrial pollution.
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