Official apologises after photograph shows 'armed' policeman holding his umbrella
An official apologised after a photo went viral of him being shielded from the rain by an armed policeman - holding an umbrella in one hand and what appeared to be a gun in the other.
A Chinese official has apologised after a photo went viral of him speaking to protesters while being shielded from the rain by an armed policeman - holding an umbrella in one hand and what appeared to be a gun in the other.
As the photo was widely circulated online, many criticised the official both for having the police officer protect him from the rain, and for the implicit threat of the cop's drawn weapon to protesters.
"There were many people at the scene. I had to focus on explaining to them and I failed to be aware that a police officer was holding an umbrella for me," Wu said in a statement posted on the local government's website this week. "I was wrong. It has caused negative social influences. I apologise to my people and netizens as well."
An official with the county magistrate told the newspaper that the "gun" was in fact a walkie-talkie.
A three-day protest over a chemical plant began in Huojia on September 9, with locals gathering in front of the country government to complain about a rotten-egg smell, suggesting highly toxic hydrogen sulfide, coming from a methanol plant owned by Zhongxin Chemical Industry Company.