On Thursday, approximately sixty unidentified goons carrying hammers broke into the offices of a workers advocacy group in Shenzhen, China.

They ransacked the premises, attacking anyone who tried to prevent them. After removing documents and equipment, and sealed the premises by welding the doors shut.

Terrified workers and onlookers called the police on several occasions, but for some strange reason they never came.

Following the attack, the workers took all their equipment a local storage facility. However, the facility owner refused to rent space to them. Later that day, the workers who had spoken to the storage facility manager, was evicted from his home by the landlord. Two other employees were subsequently harassed by unidentified gangs of men who tuned up at their homes.

A spokesperson for the advocacy centre said that:



“We have now petitioned the Shenzhen municipal Letters and Calls Office and the office of the local National People’s Congress, but they told us they would not handle this issue and told us to take our complaints to the district level instead. I don’t think this is a simple case. Almost 10 other NGOs (Non-governmental organisations [in Shenzhen] have faced similar crackdowns.” Quote:

Another workers rights group in the area report being pressured by their landlord:



“Our landlord asked us many times this year to end our lease, and our water and power has been cut from time to time.” Quote:

Sick of the harassment, they left their offices in June

The Shenzhen region of China has seen lots of strikes and unrest over the last year, as the workers have grown in confidence and militancy. However, the bosses cannot have that - hence their less than subtle attacks on workers support groups and their employees.