Beijing Shocked by Bulldozer Ramming into Crowd Causing Multiple Casualties

Dark clouds loom over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

[People News] Recently, an extremely serious, indiscriminate attack occurred in the Fangshan District of Beijing, yet strangely, there is almost no official report about this incident available on the domestic internet.

The incident took place at the "Dahanji Market" in Zhoukoudian Town, Fangshan District, Beijing, a historically significant and large-scale daily village market. According to eyewitness accounts and leaked online footage, around 11 a.m. on March 29, the market was bustling with people when suddenly, a large yellow bulldozer charged into the centre of the market as if it had gone mad.

Even more shocking, this was not an ordinary traffic accident. Multiple witnesses indicated that the bulldozer driver specifically targeted crowded areas, not only crashing into people but even directly running over those who could not escape in time.

In the midst of the panic, as the bulldozer showed no signs of stopping, some individuals picked up benches to throw at the driver, and subsequently, several members of the crowd, disregarding their own safety, risked climbing onto the moving bulldozer to forcibly pull the driver out of the vehicle. The enraged crowd then proceeded to beat the driver until the police arrived to take him into custody. Following the incident, a large number of ambulances and police cars arrived at the scene. An eyewitness sadly recalled that, from what he personally observed, there were likely 7 to 8 people who died on the spot.

The bulldozer rampaged! Dressed in black, a woman searched for nails in a chair; were they the most dangerous?

It is reported that the driver involved is a man in his 50s. Speculation from the outside suggests that his motive for the crime may stem from personal grievances, disputes over demolition, or typical "revenge against society."

However, what is most unsettling about this tragedy is the ensuing 'silence.' Despite the incident taking place in Beijing and its extremely serious nature, the Fangshan police and official media have yet to issue any statements.

On social media platforms in mainland China, such as Weibo, Douyin, and WeChat, the term 'Da Han Ji Da Ji' has become a sensitive topic. Videos that once circulated widely from the scene have been almost entirely removed. Concerns are growing that, amid the pressures of a declining Chinese economy, such 'random attacks' reminiscent of 'Zhang Xianzhong-style incidents' are becoming increasingly common in China, with grassroots societal tensions nearing a breaking point.

Indeed, the situation in mainland China has been quite turbulent recently.

On the morning of March 26, a video emerged online showing a random attack on individuals in the Dongmen pedestrian street of Luohu District, Shenzhen. Local netizens reported that five or six students were attacked, but the exact number remains unclear.

Due to the illegal construction of a funeral home by the Xinyi government in Guangdong near the villagers' residences, protests have been ongoing since around mid-March, resulting in intense clashes with the police.

Furthermore, according to reports from New Tang Dynasty, protests broke out on the evening of March 28 in the Huangjiahua area of Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei. Approximately 600 residents from the community marched through the streets, chanting slogans such as 'Defend our home,' 'Chu can get lost,' and 'Oppose industrial land,' demanding that the authorities honour their commitments and stop the construction of the battery factory. That evening, over ten protesters were arrested, and on March 29, authorities deployed a significant police presence to enhance control in the Huangjiahua area.

All these reports have vanished from official accounts. Analysts point out that behind each stark casualty figure lies a broken family. Although suppressing information might provide short-term stability, if the underlying social crises and anger are not resolved, can we truly expect such tragedies to cease? △