"China riot police seal off city centre after smog protesters put masks on statues", 12 Dec 2016

An environmental protest in [the south-western city of Chengdu] China was aggressively put down at the weekend, with a large police presence continuing for days…The protests...shrouded in thick smog, with some residents placing pollution masks on statues. An unknown number were taken away by police…

Toxic clouds of smog are regular features of China’s major cities, with some studies showing pollution has caused about 1 million premature deaths a year. China’s leaders have declared a “war on pollution”, but many state-owned companies are leaders in smog-producing industries such as steel, coal and power.

…Police ordered copy shops to record details of anyone seeking to photocopy flyers complaining about the smog and to contact the authorities, according to photos of an official notice circulating online. Anyone placing large orders of face masks should also be reported, the notice said. Police rarely allow protests in China…The response in Chengdu was severe given the size, although exact numbers for the protest are unknown…

[According to the Hong Kong Free Press, “Petrochemical plants, thought to be a source of air pollution, were targeted in the protests.”]