Photo: VCG

Police in Luyi county, Central China's Henan Province, said on Tuesday they had arrested six suspects after a police car was vandalized during a clash between local police and residents, allegedly over a firework ban.

A few people deliberately vandalized an on-duty police car that was parked by the roadside around 11 pm on Monday night, attracting a crowd of onlookers and resulting in chaos at the scene, said a statement released on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Tuesday.

Luyi police noted that the case caused very bad influence. They said that they reacted and restored order very quickly and no mortality was caused during the case.

The police said that they had launched investigation into eight individuals involved in the case in suspicion of provoking troubles, and six of them had been arrested.

They said that the law enforcement authority of the public security organs tolerates no challenges, asking the public to provide clues and urging other suspects to turn themselves in.

The statement followed a video that went viral on Chinese social media platforms showing that a young man standing atop a police car excitedly, which was later overturned and surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who recorded the scene with their mobile phones.

The young man seemingly also took down the license plate of the vehicle and swung it in his hands, according to the video clip.

According to some video clips circulated online, the incident was triggered due to an unauthorized firework celebration by some local residents.

Luyi police did not verify this, nor mention fireworks in their Tuesday statement, but it had been hyped by some foreign media as an indication of the public's dissatisfaction against the strict firework ban in major Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, especially considering that the 2023 New Year came soon after China eased COVID-19 management.

The reports of these foreign media were ridiculous and double standards, Chinese observers said.

Similar incidents took place on New Year's Eve in Germany, where firefighters and police were targeted by fireworks and firecrackers. Police arrested hundreds of perpetrators, but Western media only focused on German officials' condemning the violence. Such double standards were astonishing. "We advise those external forces who are trying to stir up the muddy water to pay more attention to issues such as ethnic confrontation and violent law enforcement in their own country," observers said.

The bottom line of the law cannot be trampled on, and the law enforcement authority of public security organs cannot be challenged. In any modern society, the law is the most basic insurance of social order. Anyone violates the law must pay the due price. There should be no doubt about this, observers noted.

German police and firefighters' unions have called for a ban on personal fireworks on New Year's Eve, as well as increased surveillance capabilities for emergency services following dozens of attacks on personnel, according to media reports on Monday.

At least 33 officers and firefighters were injured in the capital alone, and dozens of similar incidents were reported across Germany — not only accidents, but also "purposeful, targeted" attacks with fireworks, media said citing German officials.

Global Times