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BEIJING (Reuters) - The murder of a woman at a fastfood restaurant in China has sparked a national outcry after it was revealed she was beaten to death for allegedly refusing to give her telephone number to members of a banned religious group.
The 37-year-old woman was attacked by a group of people who were described as being members of the Church of Almighty God religious movement, state media reported. The group preached a global apocalypse would take place in 2012 and has been banned by Chinese authorities.
The attack occurred last Wednesday at a McDonald's restaurant in northeastern Shandong province and was captured on surveillance video, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary. Video footage of the attack was shown on China Central Television on Saturday.
Six alleged group members, including four from one family, have been arrested over the attack, state media reported.
"The audacity of the cult members to terrorize their victim at a McDonald's, a chain frequented by average Chinese, further racked people's nerves," Xinhua said.
Apart from shock and anger, many social media users condemned onlookers, who failed to stop the assault in coastal Zhaoyuan city, about 160 km north of Qingdao.
"If I stay quiet today, who will help me cry for help when I suffer from misfortunes in the future?," asked one Weibo user. "If I don't speak up as a passerby, then one day, if injustice should come upon me, no one would speak up for me as well."
Doesn't China ban a lot of people and a lot of groups? I don't think "banned" has much to do with it. We could be banned because of anything.
And if anyone thinks murder never happens in China, well, wake up. Of course it does. If it's one in a million, there should be no shock.
I don't think anyone believes murder never happens in China. It was just the shocking nature of this crime, but given what i've heard from there, it doesn't shock me too much.
Spree and random killings happen everywhere. They happen less in China, as does violent crime in general compared to the US, UK, AU, etc. The penalties for robbery, mugging, rape, etc are way more severe and they relegate you to being a peddler, garbage man, or sewer cleaner for the rest of your life. There's no pop culture glory, present or past, to thuggery or being an outlaw.
Spree killers who are driven by narcissism will be subject to a media blackout followed by a brief note a few weeks later that they were executed for their savagery; the sort of notoriety enjoyed by many Western spree killers is absent.
Still, with damn near a billion and a half people, things like this will happen regardless. A year or so ago, a guy grabbed a woman's two year old daughter and threw her during an argument about a parking spot, killing her; he was executed a couple months later. A young guy in Shanghai stabbed his girlfriend to death at an outdoor cafe; executed. A woman unable to please her husband sexually lured a teenage girl to their house under the guise of needing help with groceries where they raped and murdered her; executed. A street peddler in Guangzhou abducted a teenage girl and raped and murdered her; executed. The people who commit these crimes are subject to intense media condemnation that kills any sympathy as a sorry human being they may have had, and the possibility of a life of drudgery in prison is off the table.
Spree and random killings happen everywhere. They happen less in China, as does violent crime in general compared to the US, UK, AU, etc. The penalties for robbery, mugging, rape, etc are way more severe and they relegate you to being a peddler, garbage man, or sewer cleaner for the rest of your life. There's no pop culture glory, present or past, to thuggery or being an outlaw.
Spree killers who are driven by narcissism will be subject to a media blackout followed by a brief note a few weeks later that they were executed for their savagery; the sort of notoriety enjoyed by many Western spree killers is absent.
Still, with damn near a billion and a half people, things like this will happen regardless. A year or so ago, a guy grabbed a woman's two year old daughter and threw her during an argument about a parking spot, killing her; he was executed a couple months later. A young guy in Shanghai stabbed his girlfriend to death at an outdoor cafe; executed. A woman unable to please her husband sexually lured a teenage girl to their house under the guise of needing help with groceries where they raped and murdered her; executed. A street peddler in Guangzhou abducted a teenage girl and raped and murdered her; executed. The people who commit these crimes are subject to intense media condemnation that kills any sympathy as a sorry human being they may have had, and the possibility of a life of drudgery in prison is off the table.
Actually the murder rate in China is similar to Australia, UK.etc. Not sure about other crimes.
Wow what a lucky coincidence for the ruling Party. It fulfills all the relevant criteria for something they would love to publicize.
Sensationalist in nature to grab a lot of attention and moral outrage - check
Places religious groups in a bad light as organizations bent on evil - check
Distracts the population from the fact the same party has been in power for over 60 years and is still suppressing basic freedoms - check
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