On Monday, a deadly car attack occurred in Zhuhai, China, when a 63-year-old man drove his vehicle into a crowd at a sports center, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others. The driver, identified only by his family name, Fan, was found dead in the car with self-inflicted knife wounds.
Preliminary investigations suggested that he was motivated by dissatisfaction with the division of assets in his divorce. However, the public remained unaware of many details, including the full scale of the casualties, until more than a day after the incident.
The delay in releasing information about the attack has sparked frustration and speculation among Chinese citizens. Social media users voiced their concerns about the censorship of search results and social media content immediately following the incident, with videos of the scene and early media reports being deleted. The police report, which was only issued a full day later, allowed for more open discussion of the event, leading to an outpouring of grief and questions regarding the lack of transparency.
After the police report was made public, people gathered at the site of the attack to mourn, leaving flowers and candles at a makeshift vigil outside the sports center. The authorities allowed the flowers to be placed but quickly moved them inside, while security personnel limited interaction with the media.
Deadly Car Attack in Zhuhai Kills 35, Sparks Outrage Over Delayed Information and Censorship
Despite the presence of police, the vigil continued to grow, with volunteers and delivery drivers contributing fresh flowers. Public outcry over the delay in information release persisted, with many people questioning why they had learned about the attack so late.
Some speculated that the delay in information release could be related to the timing of the incident, as it coincided with a planned airshow in Zhuhai. Others compared the lack of coverage to past incidents, such as the Itaewon stampede in South Korea, which had received extensive media attention.
Discussions about the attack and its motives continued on social media, but authorities imposed restrictions on related hashtags and content, limiting the reach of these conversations. This censorship sparked further complaints about the lack of freedom of expression.
The Zhuhai car attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents in China, including attacks on schoolchildren and mass killings, some of which have been reported as accidents. This particular attack is the deadliest deliberate mass killing since a 2022 plane crash in which 132 people were killed.
The incident has raised concerns about the increasing authoritarian control under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, which has led to greater censorship and suppression of negative news. The handling of this case follows a pattern of tight control over information, as seen during the pandemic and other recent crises.
