Ai Weiwei and other artists who had been assaulted by thugs for protesting forced eviction from an artist colony held a protest in Beijing today. Global Times reports:
About 20 artists briefly demonstrated Monday in downtown Beijing, claiming that they had fallen victim to early morning “assaults by thugs hired by local authorities” in their suburban residential complex that will be demolished to give way to urbanization projects.
The artists claim their contract hasn’t run out at the Zhengyang Creative Art Zone in Chaoyang District, but the government and property developers have told them since July that they need to move out.
The group went to Chang’an Avenue Monday afternoon, holding posters and protesting the al-leged assaults suffered by nine of the artists living in the zone.
Ai Weiwei [left] at today’s protest
Artist Liu Yi at today’s protest holding a banner that reads “Civil Rights”
More photos of the protest are on flickr.
