Police in…Shanghai took away at least three busloads of environmental protesters outside the municipal government Saturday…[T]housands of residents in the Shanghai suburban district of Jinshan have been protesting outside the district government…during the past week following the rumor about a petrochemical plant moving into their neighborhood. Shanghai authorities have dismissed it as untrue.

Still skeptical, the residents planned to protest outside the municipal government in central Shanghai on Saturday, but the venue was guarded by hundreds of police…The police forced demonstrators to board buses before driving away from downtown Shanghai. Scuffles broke out with less obedient protesters. …

The rumor involves a paraxylene plant the protesters believe will be built in an industrial zone in Jinshan. Paraxylene is a hazardous chemical used to produce fibers and plastics. Exposure to paraxylene can cause eye, nose and throat irritation…

The Shanghai government announced Friday that it would cease any environmental assessment for the industrial zone — possibly meaning no new project — and focus on cleaning up pollution. It earlier made repeated assurances that no paraxylene factory would be built in Jinshan. However, many are distrustful of the government, citing rampant corruption, incompetence, and lack of transparency in decision-making.