Vilification of blogger Wu Gan a new turn in silencing dissent
The tone of an astonishing personal attack on a detained popular online activist is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution
When an activist is detained on the mainland, the news usually emerges through social media or websites hosted abroad. Overseas media then pick up the story and confirm it through lawyers, relatives or fellow activists.
State media tend to keep quiet, as if nothing happened.
This week, however, state media led by the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, Xinhua and Central China Television, was awash with news of the criminal detention of rights campaigner and celebrity blogger Wu Gan, also known as "Super Vulgar Butcher".
On Thursday, in an article headlined "Revealing the true face of Super Vulgar Butcher", the top half of the political news page of People's Daily was dedicated to news that Wu had been detained by police in his home province of Fujian on the criminal charges of defamation and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" - a blanket charge often levelled at activists and dissidents.
The article assailed Wu's character, listing his flamboyant protests that had upset officials. It quoted people supposedly from his home town talking about his flawed character, broken family and failed marriage.
Wu cannot respond to any of these accusations because he is now in police custody.