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![\"31-150x150\"](\"http:\/\/www.chinesepen.org\/english\/files\/2014\/05\/31-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nExplosives were said to be hurled from two SUVs that ploughed into the city\u2019s popular open morning market yesterday AM, killing 31 and leaving more than 90 injured.<\/p>\n
It was the third terrorist attack targeted at civilians in or near the region since March. Just two weeks ago, on April 30, when Chinese president Xi Jinping was still touring the region, 3 people were killed and 79 injured after attackers used knives and detonated explosives at Urumqi\u2019s south railway station. In March, 29 people were killed in a knife rampage by a group of Uighur terrorists at Kunming railway station. This is not yet counting the 3 Han officials being murdered during Xi\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
Xi called Urumqi the \u201cfront line\u201d in China\u2019s battle against terrorism, and vowed to \u201cmake terrorists like rats scurrying across a street, with everybody shouting \u2018beat them!\u201d Well\u2026the series of attacks make these terrorists look more like predators than rats, but \u201cbeat them\u201d shouts are definitely coming.<\/p>\n
What pushed many Chinese netizens to the edge is the fact that most of the dead and injured were powerless seniors who went to the morning market for the day\u2019s foods, and the realization that the terrorists have shifted their target from government officials and police officers to civilians, on top of the evolution from knives to explosives.<\/p>\n
Many Chinese netizens demand their government to counter terror with terror, calling for harsh retaliation, or even the use of collective punishment to arrest or execute families of the terrorists. Such calls are not unheard of before after attacks of similar nature occurred. What\u2019s new this time is the number of people who actually agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolent attacks targeted at innocent civilians are crimes against humanity. The only solution is to counter killing with killing. Mercy on terrorists is also against humanity.\u201d Commented netizen \u859b\u597d\u5927. Another netizen \u4e09\u4e07\u4e0a\u5c09 was much more specific: \u201cIf the terrorists kill one of us, we should kill their entire families!\u201d<\/p>\n
Even those who weren\u2019t as extreme seem to have changed their stance. One netizen \u4f60\u672c\u6765\u5c31\u5f88\u7f8eC commented: \u201cThere is no longer need for us to think of ways to turn terrorists into good people. All that we need to work on is to turn terrorists into dead people.\u201d \u201cIn this particular case, I\u2019m all for countering violence with violence, and countering killing with killing.\u201d Another netizen \u72d0\u8bf4\u516b\u5366 commented.<\/p>\n
Yesterday\u2019s attack may mark a turning point for the Chinese government to shift from \u201cmaintaining stability\u201d and \u201cbuilding a harmonious society\u201d to \u201ccounter-terrorism.\u201d And they will get support from the Chinese people. The only question is whether they are ready.<\/p>\n
Minutes after the horrible news broke yesterday, censors started to work. News articles about the Urumqi blasts shared on China\u2019s social media were left with no or only a dozen of comments while being shared hundreds of times. As of now, posts about the incident are still heavily censored. In a country where public discussions of terrorism are not allowed, talks about counter-terrorism is but a joke.<\/p>\n
An eyewitness of the 4.30 railway station bomb attack pointed out: \u201cI am a survivor of the railway bomb attack on April 30. All of my messages were censored, and they will continue to be censored in the future. What\u2019s the use of condolence and condemnation? Our counter-terrorism policies are wrong from the very start.\u201d<\/p>\n
From\u00a0http:\/\/offbeatchina.com\/chinese-netizens-call-for-eye-for-an-eye-retaliation-after-deadly-blasts-in-urumqi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alia | May 22nd, 2014 – 7:41 pm Wh … Continue reading <\/a>
\nMorning market after blast<\/p>\n