Mass Protest_ Anger Mounts in China Over 17-Year-Old’s Death

The tragic death of a 17-year-old student has triggered mass protests inside China. Thousands gathered in front of the school the student had attended Monday, demanding to know the truth of what happened. Some even tussled with Chinese police on the scene. Here's video from the scene, protesters forcing police officers to move back. The demonstrators gathered in front of a school building in China's Shanxi province, where a 17-year-old fell to his death last week. Authorities said he jumped off the building on his own following disputes with fellow classmates, but his mother and the public suspect foul play. An article circulating online details some of the speculation. Its author claims to be a relative of the dead. It writes that while looking at her son's remains, the student's mother noticed bruises on his neck. And just as she was about to check for other injuries, she was stopped by a dozen teachers and kicked out of the funeral home. The article added that according to witnesses, students' phones were also confiscated. Back to the protest, the grieving mother was seen kneeling in front of a crowd. A banner behind her reading, give back my child's life, we need to know the truth. A kid jumped off the building. Look how many people are here. A group of younger protesters broke into the school building. The incident highlighted the protesters mounting anger toward police officers. Multiple videos capture protesters throwing objects at the police. In one clip, police officers charged toward a female protester, while an onlooker could be heard saying, quote, Chinese police officers are gangs. They're the largest evil forces in our county. On the sidelines, another man got into a scuffle with an officer. One of the protesters told NTD that authorities have since cleared the scene and threatened protesters that traveled from nearby places. We've distorted his voice to protect his identity. Authorities told protesters in their hotels to return to where they came from. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to leave later. One resident explained why they were compelled to speak out. My own children also go to this school, and all of us feel very uncomfortable after learning about the students' death. At least we're making our voices heard. Authorities can't just treat us like animals. Another local said authorities are doubling down on muzzling the public, deleting posts and videos on social media. This makes me really sad. Authorities have blocked many of my social media accounts. All we ask for is the truth, but there is no truth. What if the same thing happens to our children and our friends one day? What do we do then? Wong added that people should reject violence in schools and noted that he is speaking out for the sake of tens of millions of students. Locals say authorities have deployed more police to prevent further protests.