BEIJING — Authorities in eastern China have halted plans to build a trash incinerator after rowdy street protests by residents and the arrests of four people.
The Haiyan county government in Zhejiang province said in a statement Friday that hundreds of residents began to gather illegally Wednesday and blocked roads. The demonstration escalated Thursday evening when the mob attacked a government building, smashing objects and causing injuries to police and bystanders, it said.
A 19-year-old woman was detained on charges of spreading unverified gory pictures and videos on the Internet showing protesters beaten by police, which were viewed more than 5,000 times. Another person also was detained on accusations of spreading rumors, and two others were detained on charges of disrupting public order, including a woman charged with spreading insults against officials, the government said.
The images possibly were taken at one of many protests that occur each year.
The government statement said the 19-year-old, identified only by her surname, Yu, told police that she hadn’t been present at the protests but had seen the images online and decided to circulate them out of anger.
It said Yu had failed to verify the origin of the pictures and related text, implying they may have been related to a completely different protest.
The Haiyan government first revealed plans for the incinerator project on April 12, saying it was needed to help dispose of the 450 tons of solid waste that residents are generating every day.
No reason was given for the cancellation.
Recent years have seen a growing number of protests against incinerators, chemical plants and other projects believed to threaten the environment and living conditions.