A woman is knocked to the ground by security in China. | Photo: Weibo
A disturbing video shows the moment security officers in China begin hitting women during an altercation at an IDAHOBIT event. The women were hospitalized later that day with minor injuries to their faces.
On Sunday (13 May) a group of people decided to hand at rainbow badges at Beijing’s hip 798 art district. 798 is an arts hub with restaurants, bars and galleries, housed in an unique decommissioned military factory.
The group were wearing the badges and also giving free hugs ahead of IDAHOBIT on 17 May. IDAHOBIT is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex-phobia and Transphobia.
The rainbow badges handed out at the 798 district. | Photo: Wechat / @zakki吉吉
But management at 798 were not happy with the group’s ‘illegal’ and sent security in to ask them to leave. China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997.
‘Wearing a rainbow badge is illegal to me, and they, the homosexuals, have distorted sexual orientation, it is terrifying,’ a 798 property manager told the Global Times.
‘God created humans as they are.’
But when security went to disperse the group, some of the members put up a fight insisting they weren’t doing anything illegal.
A video uploaded to popular social media site, Weibo, showed security hitting one woman and knocking her to the ground.
今天下午北京798艺术中心发放LGBT的彩虹勋章。保安抢夺胸针并且殴打女生#LGBT 🏳️🌈 #Beijing798 pic.twitter.com/J1ZLw36QKq
— Lusters 🏳️🌈 (@lusters_) 13 May 2018
Police arrived at the incident later.
One Weibo who was part of the group handing out rainbow badges said the group hadn’t done anything illegal and was just trying to raise awareness about the LGBTI community.
‘I planned to give out 5,000 rainbow badges in 798 but was stopped by the security staff. Trying to stop me from handing out badges and stopping others who wore them from entering the zone is absurd,’ @piaoquanjun said.
‘The security staff don’t understand us. I gave out rainbow badges to let more people see us, know us and try to understand us. We are not abnormal.’
Weibo removed video of the incident without explanation.
Today, China’s LGBT team is holding a rainbow pin in the Beijing 798 art district. During the event,Chinese secret service members are against LGBT activities beat up a lesbian. This is the status quo of Chinese women’s survival and the status quo of Chinese homosexuals. How sad! pic.twitter.com/000L66mefl
— Carol (@De_profundis0) 13 May 2018
#798Beating
But many Weibo users expressed their support for the LGBTI community, with the hashtag #798beating getting more than 250,000 views by that evening. Weibo soon removed the hashtag as well.
‘Today we won’t be silent,’ wrote one Weibo user.
‘We will raise our voice for love. Although it scares us what happened today at 798, we cannot give up our right to love and be loved.’
北京798，保安在殴打发放彩虹徽章的LGBT平权团体…无耻已经不足以来形容这些人了… pic.twitter.com/XlEWJqYmNV
— Craner (@rchengphy) 14 May 2018
LGBTI groups in China condemned the incident.
‘No individual should be subject to violence,’ long-time activist Ripley Wang, told Sixth Tone.
‘We should demand that law enforcement officials investigate this matter and hold those who’ve broken the law accountable.’
