Guangdong demonstrators take to streets for second day to protest waste incinerator plans
Police guard government building in Huizhou as locals keep up protest
Demonstrations against a controversial waste incinerator project continued in Huizhou in Guangdong yesterday ahead of today's close of the public consultation over the plan.
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the county's government building and a public square, as anti-riot police stood monitoring the situation, according to several residents.
The protest followed a bigger rally on Saturday, when participants and witnesses estimated thousands took to the streets in Boluo county, demanding the authorities scrap the incinerator project, which would process 2,600 tonnes of rubbish a day.
Li Wei, a local resident, said a petition highlighting residents' concerns was being circulated. "So far we have more than 20,000 names on more than 1,000 sheets of paper," Li said.
"I believe more people will join the protest [today] and even students will turn out because it's the last day of the government's one-month public consultation over the project.
"If we don't stand up to fight, it will be too late to save our community," he added.