(Photo : Weibo)


Chinese authorities performed 'anal security checks' Wednesday on over 10,000 pigeons released during their National Day commemoration festivities following a report that some might have been carrying explosives.



Contrary to what they symbolize, doves were seen as a threat during the festivities in China after fears of them being used in a terrorist attack on one of the country's biggest and most crowded public events of the year.



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A Tweet from the news agency People's Daily China revealed that 10,000 pigeons underwent a rigorous 'anal security check for suspicious objects' on Tuesday prior to their National Day celebration on Wednesday.



Beijing law enforcement officers scrutinized each of the birds for "suspicious objects" hidden in their behinds before they were released during a ceremony held at sunrise in Tiananmen Square, marking the beginning of the celebration.



According to reports, authorities checked the birds' wings, legs and anus for fear that would-be terrorists used the birds as mobile bombs that could be detonated when they near a government official or a crowd.



Security check passed doves were then loaded into sealed vehicles to be transported to Tiananmen Square with the entire process being recorded on tape.



The security checks received a diverse reaction from the Beijing crowd with some comparing their own plight in what they consider an oppressive society with strict censorship and judicial injustice.



"The liberty and dignity of citizens are increasingly vulnerable, and can be expropriated at any time, like with the pigeons," independent commentator Zhang Ping wrote in an editorial posted over the social media.



Meanwhile, the additional security measures indicated an increased concern about terrorism in the country after violent attacks blamed on militants from the ethnic Uighur Muslim minority and other assaults involving unhappy individuals emerged last month.



Additional police helicopters have been deployed in major cities as well as the popular tourists spots such as the Great Wall of China and the Summer Palace while some 850,000 citizen volunteers remained on the lookout for suspicious activities all over the country.




Tagsdoves, symbol, National Day, celebration, anal check