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SCMP Reporter

Crowds turned out in Beijing and Shanghai city centres yesterday, following an online call for a 'Jasmine Revolution' in 13 cities in response to pro-democracy protests across the Middle East. 
Nervous that the gatherings might turn into larger protests, the authorities went on high alert.
Tens of thousands of police and state security agents were mobilised to quell the gatherings. 
More than 20 mainland cities, including Tianjin, Chengdu and Guangzhou, stepped up security measures, with state security, police and armed forces ordered to stand by in case of emergency, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. 
Universities in Shaanxi  and Jiangsu  were ordered to shut their gates to prevent students from leaving campus, it reported.
Rights group China Human Rights Defenders said at least 70 to 80 people across the country had their freedom of movement restricted by police over the weekend. Some were detained at police stations, while others were put under house arrest or forcibly taken out of their homes by police. 
Among them were Beijing-based rights lawyers Teng Biao, Jiang Tianyong  and Xu Zhiyong . 
Teng's wife said state security police summoned him on Saturday afternoon and later returned to confiscate his computer and various documents. 
They were among a handful of lawyers detained late last week when they held a gathering to discuss how to help Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist whose family has been put under house arrest for five months since his release from prison. 
In Beijing, hundreds gathered outside a McDonald's restaurant on the busy Wangfujing pedestrian shopping street at around 2pm yesterday despite a heavy police presence, said witnesses and Xinhua. 
Police dispersed the crowd within an hour, although a few bystanders remained. Xinhua issued an English-language dispatch, saying police took away two men. At one point, someone scattered several white flowers on the ground outside the restaurant.
One man picked up a flower and as he was about to use his mobile phone, he was taken away by police. He scuffled briefly with them.
'Why are you arresting me?' he protested loudly in front of reporters. 'I'm just here to do shopping.'
Some at the scene said they were curious about the mysterious online call for a rally, while others appeared to be just inquisitive passers-by.
'I see hope today as there are so many young people here,' said a 37-year-old teacher who declined to give his name. But he said he did not think the Middle East pro-democracy movement would spread to China.
Beijing resident Xu Chongyang, 54, who stood outside McDonald's for three hours, said he was surprised by the number of people who showed up.
He believed it was a wake-up call for the government, saying it should address the country's rising social tensions. A staff member at Dongcheng district police station refused to respond to a reporter's question yesterday.
In Shanghai, more than 100 people turned up at the Peace Cinema, near the People's Square and at least three people were taken away by police, said a local resident. 
One man started delivering a speech but left when police came, Xinhua said in an English-language dispatch. Police dispersed the crowd within an hour, it said.
Dozens of activists and reporters followed officers and two people they detained back to a police station and stood outside. 
Two protested outside the police station and one was taken away.
'I am here to demand that they end the one-party rule as soon as possible ... so they won't be able to carry out arbitrary arrests any more,' one man told reporters.
Officials at the Huangpu district's public security bureau could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In Guangzhou, few people turned up at the People's Park, where a rally initiated online was supposed to take place, but there were at least 500 uniformed police officers and 30 police vehicles at the scene, guarding the park's gates and Metro station exits. A student told TVB news he was disappointed by the lack of support.
'There are myriad social problems. We should let the leadership know,' he said, with his back facing the camera.
Meanwhile, Guangzhou-based lawyer Liu Shihui  was attacked yesterday by thugs. 
He told reporters they put a rice bag over him and beat and kicked him on the floor. Guangzhou police refused to comment.
In Hong Kong, a group of about 20 activists from the League of Social Democrats staged a rally outside the Beijing authorities' representative office to show support for the 'Jasmine Revolution'.
Led by party chairman Andrew To Kwan-hang as well as party legislator 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, the protesters shouted slogans 'Long live democracy' and 'Long live the people's revolution' as they tossed paper drawings of jasmine flowers into the Beijing Liaison Office compound in Western.



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