Beijing police round up and beat African expats

[pat_togo]

· Diplomat's son among victims at nightclub
· Deep bias combines with crackdown on drugs

Jennifer Brea in Beijing
Wednesday September 26, 2007
The Guardian

At least 20 black men, including students, tourists and the son of a Caribbean diplomat, were arrested in a popular nightclub district of Beijing on Friday, several of the group being severely beaten on suspicion of dealing drugs, witnesses said.

African expatriates in Beijing and witnesses claim the episode revealed a pervasive prejudice toward dark-skinned foreigners in China.

According to five bystanders, teams of police, dressed in black jumpsuits and reportedly wielding batons and taser guns, cordoned off a street in the popular Sanlitun nightclub district at around midnight and rounded up almost all the black men there. Many of the men were beaten.

The raid took place in front of hundreds of stunned expatriates outside the packed bars and clubs of the neighbourhood, which is popular with Beijing's burgeoning foreign community.

"I saw a guy being beaten by these kids. He wasn't doing anything. He wasn't fighting back," said one witness, a white American college graduate working in Beijing.

"I have not really ever seen anything so brutal," said another American. "There was blood on the streets. They were basically beating up any black person they could find."

Beijing police yesterday declined to confirm or deny the incident.

The detainees included 22-year-old Joslyn Whiteman, son of Grenada's ambassador. One witness said he saw police grab Mr Whiteman and beat him repeatedly, despite onlookers crying out, "Stop! He's a diplomat!" According to the South China Morning Post, Mr Whiteman spent the night in a hospital with concussion. "Obviously I'm very angry," the ambassador, the elder Mr Whiteman, told the Post. "My son was arrested and beaten for no reason ... I will be taking this up with the authorities and looking into the matter."

Chinese investment in developing countries, and especially Africa, has prompted a reverse migration and a growing number of African and other black people are migrating to China to study, work and learn the language. However, many African immigrants have entered China illegally and work as drug mules, a trade that is highly lucrative but which can bring the death penalty.

African dealers in Beijing offer a wide range of drugs, from cocaine to ecstasy, to a mostly expat market. Sanlitun was once a dealers' haven but has been substantially cleaned up by roundups. None, though, approached the scale or violence of that on Friday night, described as "excessive" and "chaotic" by witnesses. "I wasn't surprised [by the use of violence]," one person said. "I've seen this kind of thing happen before, but never against foreigners in front of other foreigners."

This latest raid comes as part of the effort to clean up Beijing ahead of next month's annual meeting of Communist party leaders and the 2008 Olympic Games, based in the city.

Africans say that living in China in the face of pervasive prejudice can be challenging. When Beijing rolled out the red carpet for more than 40 African heads of state last November, billboards depicting Africans clad in leopard skin underwear, and an indigenous man from Papua New Guinea, plastered the city.

[NINJA ASSASSIN]

............atleast they took that hatred they have against blacks  and displayed it openly near the embassies located near there ....that is a good way of showing  blacks what they are capable of...if given a chance to be brutal ...........lets also beat em up in africa abit.

[sabresaurus]

............atleast they took that hatred they have against blacks  and displayed it openly near the embassies located near there ....that is a good way of showing  blacks what they are capable of...if given a chance to be brutal ...........lets also beat em up in africa abit.

Stereotype is annoying, but "beat 'em up in Africa" Come on, Chinese get killed in Africa...remember the time Hu JinTao went for the African tour thing?

One day one of those Chinese aggressors will get killed as a result...wait for it.  This will be one of those long-term effects leading to WWIII.

[collinstexas]

l dont know when all this stuffs will stop

[M.O.B]

l dont know when all this stuffs will stop

Never...back home we say that if you don't want drama then get off the corner...

[promochuks]

Why are they doing things like that? Why is the hate? Is it the best way to avert crime? Why would every set of people suffer forwhat  just a couple did? Why is there injustice? Why is the hypocrisy? What is wrong with the world? WHen will this hate stop? They go to Africa and are treated fine, they are not pushed around as Africans are pushed around here...But yet,they claim,they're Africa friendly..That's just total bullshit,God help us in this land of injustice. There are even alotta injustice against their own people who have no say....What has the olympic got to do with a particular color in a city? Tracking the bad guys down can be done by them, but they using that as an excuse to clear the blacks away....we ain't dumb

[ren da]

when i saw this on the news, i was ready to talk to the embassies here.  i am so disgusted but i know that these things happen and it is not out of character for some in china.

it just goes to show that our african governments are all about money.  they should be outraged right now.  a lot of them probably thinking about that money they received at the conference in beijing this year.

what a bunch of doucebags!!!

with all that said, those who are dealing drugs should be held accountable as well.  your fast life is putting others at risk. 

[sabresaurus]

Why are they doing things like that? Why is the hate? Is it the best way to avert crime? Why would every set of people suffer forwhat  just a couple did? Why is there injustice? Why is the hypocrisy? What is wrong with the world? WHen will this hate stop? They go to Africa and are treated fine, they are not pushed around as Africans are pushed around here...But yet,they claim,they're Africa friendly..That's just total bullshit,God help us in this land of injustice. There are even alotta injustice against their own people who have no say....What has the olympic got to do with a particular color in a city? Tracking the bad guys down can be done by them, but they using that as an excuse to clear the blacks away....we ain't dumb

Come on Promo, you can't really know if Chinese are being treated well in Africa, because you're not Chinese. I know it hurts more when it happens to our own people but we shouldn't forget that there will always be a group of people hating the minorities.  It happens all over the world and not only in China. 

it just goes to show that our african governments are all about money.  they should be outraged right now.  a lot of them probably thinking about that money they received at the conference in beijing this year.

Thing is, there must have been some Blacks there at the time, guilty of dealing with drugs.  If this incident is big enough to deserve an apology from the Chinese government or the police force, many of the Blacks would have to answer a whole lot of questions.  And according to the article, dealing with drugs is "...a trade that is highly lucrative but which can bring the death penalty."

This is the sort of situation where we have no choice but to 'bend down and take it' unless 0% of the Blacks involved were NOT dealing with drugs.  We shouldn't really get pissed off at the Chinese police because THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING about Blacks and everyone knows that.  They don't know anything about foreigners here.  This is China, our laws of Human Rights are no good here.  There's no such thing as a 'Hate Crime' here.  Don't we know that yet?

We should however, get pissed off at these Black drug dealers, because they know about the stereotype Blacks have to face and they're making it worse.  They're in a shitty situation in their lives right now and they're taking the whole community down with them.

[khabzela]

Come on Promo, you can't really know if Chinese are being treated well in Africa, because you're not Chinese. I know it hurts more when it happens to our own people but we shouldn't forget that there will always be a group of people hating the minorities.  It happens all over the world and not only in China. 

These guys were not beat down by a random group of crazy Chinese guys. They were attacked by the police, a state institution. Government officials -this includes police oficers- act on behalf of the government when carrying out their duties. If those poor chaps were attacked by a random group of people it's a different story all together, but they were not, they were attacked by government officials!

True, chinese have been the victims of crimes in Africa, however such incidents have been 'normal crimes' and not government action as we see here in the case of the Beijing Africans. There is a difference. When a bunch of lowlifes rob and beat you down it's totally different from being attacked by the police. I mean do you think Los Angeles would have experienced those riots back then if Rodney King had been beaten down by a bunch of white guys who weren't cops? My humble reasoning tells me probably not. Police action is an institution, keep that in mind.

The action by the those cops was complete racist stupidity. Jeez man, i mean crimes are commited by every race. There's a lot of pick pockets at the Shanghai train station, obviously most of them are Chinese coz this is China, i suggest the cops should pick a day and go and arrest every Chinese person there,...hmm that would be effective policing, don't  you think? hahaha!!

Guilty because of one's race and not because of specific criminal action,... who teaches those guys policing anyway huhh??

Fucking pricks! they should try that Beijing shit here in shanghai, i swear i will take down one of them SOB's with me, and i'll make sure i continue kicking his ass in the after life!!

[sabresaurus]

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnPEK22343.html

 BEIJING, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Chinese paramilitary police swept through a busy bar district in Beijing, detaining about 20 African nationals suspected of selling drugs, witnesses said.

The raid at midnight on Friday in fashionable Sanlitun, also home to many embassies, came as police tighten security ahead of a Communist Party meeting in mid-October and next year's Olympic Games.

"The paramilitary police sealed off the street at both ends, then moved in," said a witness surnamed Wang.

"Some Africans entered the vans peacefully but others tried to flee and the police used force," added Wang, who works on the street frequented by young foreigners.

Other witnesses said the troops targeted anyone on the street with dark skin.

The Ministry of Public Security and the Beijing police both declined immediate comment.

Chinese police rarely get involved with foreigners if they can help it, owing mainly to poor foreign language skills.

================================================

Nobody's saying this is one of your average situations. But those who weren't there can only understand it from the perspective of bystanders.

No doubt some innocent Africans were affected, but there were people who were guilty too (well, of something at least).  Why else would they try to escape? It is frustrating that the police didn't care to suspect the other foreigners.  That was so wrong of them.  But let's not talk as if 100% of the Africans in here don't deal with drugs - and if you are hanging out with someone who does, you're obviously going to be a suspect.

Of course these actions were based on stereotype/discrimination...but we're not in the US nor in Africa Khabzela - things are very different here.  Their morals are not quite similar to ours.  If you want to live by American or African rules, amongst American and African mentalities, live in America or in Africa.

[promochuks]

Come on Promo, you can't really know if Chinese are being treated well in Africa, because you're not Chinese. I know it hurts more when it happens to our own people but we shouldn't forget that there will always be a group of people hating the minorities.  It happens all over the world and not only in China. 

As long as i know, they are. Oh, by the way, i got a friend who studied in my Uni,he graduated and moved to Nigeria fo his company. He's vey outspoken and he says that Nigerians treat him fine and the only complaint was that business men ,love money alot. As of treating them bad,it's all lies. He told me that people accept him well over there. U can't make me believe that it's same all over the world. We Nigerians ain't hypocrites, we don't tell the world we're friendly and yet unfriendly (just as CHina would do in some cases). STop defending what u're not sure of....Nigerians cannot arrest every Chinese for a crim just one committed.

[promochuks]

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnPEK22343.html

 BEIJING, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Chinese paramilitary police swept through a busy bar district in Beijing, detaining about 20 African nationals suspected of selling drugs, witnesses said.

The raid at midnight on Friday in fashionable Sanlitun, also home to many embassies, came as police tighten security ahead of a Communist Party meeting in mid-October and next year's Olympic Games.

"The paramilitary police sealed off the street at both ends, then moved in," said a witness surnamed Wang.

"Some Africans entered the vans peacefully but others tried to flee and the police used force," added Wang, who works on the street frequented by young foreigners.

Other witnesses said the troops targeted anyone on the street with dark skin.

The Ministry of Public Security and the Beijing police both declined immediate comment.

Chinese police rarely get involved with foreigners if they can help it, owing mainly to poor foreign language skills.

================================================

Nobody's saying this is one of your average situations. But those who weren't there can only understand it from the perspective of bystanders.

No doubt some innocent Africans were affected, but there were people who were guilty too (well, of something at least).  Why else would they try to escape? It is frustrating that the police didn't care to suspect the other foreigners.  That was so wrong of them.  But let's not talk as if 100% of the Africans in here don't deal with drugs - and if you are hanging out with someone who does, you're obviously going to be a suspect.

Of course these actions were based on stereotype/discrimination...but we're not in the US nor in Africa Khabzela - things are very different here.  Their morals are not quite similar to ours.  If you want to live by American or African rules, amongst American and African mentalities, live in America or in Africa.

U're just backing up what u're not sure of. I would believe the report of bystanders than da report of the press, cuz they knwo how to twist stories. In case u don't know Sab, u hear more about China outside China, the real thing is never revealed inside the country. Believe that...

[pat_togo]

More coverage and comments from this article:

http://www.beijingnewspeak.com/2007/09/25/crude-drug-raid-highlights-ignorance-of-beijings-police/

[ren da]

Of course these actions were based on stereotype/discrimination...but we're not in the US nor in Africa Khabzela - things are very different here.  Their morals are not quite similar to ours.  If you want to live by American or African rules, amongst American and African mentalities, live in America or in Africa.

regardless of living in america or africa and having that mentality...injustice is injustice.  if we don't speak up when we see it then innocent people will continue to suffer and be suppressed. 

all of those who were beaten by the police were not innocent but is that the way to round up people?!! the more people talk about it the better information to be filtered out into the international communities.

regardless of if it happened in china with their chinese views, it doesn't matter.  what matters is that people are willing to stand up and say it was wrong.  i'm not even talking about just the situation in beijing with africans.  i speak out regardless of where the injustice is happening and to whom.

[sabresaurus]

I completely support "Speaking Up" RenDa.  I would like to see that happen.  When that happens, someone should let me know.  I guess that's the difference between Americans and Africans: one speaks out and one likes to argue amongst others in the community.  I guess that's what pisses me off when I see the Africans in here getting pissed off at the Chinese in an AFRICAN forum.  It's silly and it's not going to do much.

As long as i know, they are. Oh, by the way, i got a friend who studied in my Uni,he graduated and moved to Nigeria fo his company. He's vey outspoken and he says that Nigerians treat him fine and the only complaint was that business men ,love money alot. As of treating them bad,it's all lies. He told me that people accept him well over there. U can't make me believe that it's same all over the world. We Nigerians ain't hypocrites, we don't tell the world we're friendly and yet unfriendly (just as CHina would do in some cases). STop defending what u're not sure of....Nigerians cannot arrest every Chinese for a crim just one committed.

Dude, I'm half Asian and I moved to my mum's country which is part of AFRICA when I was a child.
Comments about me when I first got there: "aww, she's so sweet.  All she does is smile at everyone."
Years later after the bullying and harassment I endured for being classed as an Asian IN AFRICA...

Well hell, look at me: I'm cynical, too defensive, unfriendly, unsociable, etc., etc., etc.  Do I need to explain what PURE Africans do to Asians in general? To think I'm only half...I can only imagine what the pure breed Asians/Chinese have to go through.

You're a Black Nigerian from Nigeria.  You can't possibly know what it's like to be classed as a foreigner in your country because you're not in the position to know.  Lola herself had to hangout mainly with other mixed race kids.  I wonder why...