Why Protest in Beijing?

Everyone knows that China is a communist nation that restricts civil liberties. Who doesn't remember the hundreds of people who were killed and thousands of people who were injured at Tianamen Square in 1989? So why is it that people continue to risk their lives just to make a point?

In the case of Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying, their motivation is perfectly clear. Dianyian, 79, and Xiuying, 77, have lived in China their whole lives and have reached an age at which they finally feel free to speak their minds without worrying about the consequences. They are friends and neighbors who together petitioned for a permit to protest during the Olympics. As punishment for applying to protest, the Chinese government sentenced them both to a year of detention and, not surprisingly, the government does not allow detainee protests.

Their protest is not related to a free Tibet or the right to democratic elections, but is rather something much more unpretentious. These women felt they were unjustly compensated after an eminent domain claim on their homes in the interest of a government backed gentrification plan. Their concerns were no different than those felt worldwide by people who have been forced out of their homes in the interest of economic development.