China: Clampdown over mystery call to protest

Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some mobile phone text messaging services and censored internet postings about the call to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.

Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which first circulated on Saturday on the US-based Chinese-language news website Boxun.com.

The unsigned notice called for a "Jasmine Revolution" - the name given to the Tunisian protest movement - and urged people "to take responsibility for the future". Participants were urged to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" - a slogan that highlights common complaints among Chinese.

China's authoritarian government has appeared unnerved by protests across the Arab world. It has limited media reports, stressing the instability caused by the protests, and restricted internet searches to keep Chinese uninformed about grievances in the Middle East and North Africa against autocratic rulers.

Though there are many similarities with the everyday troubles of Chinese, Beijing's tight grip on the country's media, internet and other communication forums poses difficulties for anyone trying to organise mass demonstrations.

Most Chinese were unlikely to know about the call to protest. Boxun.com is blocked in the country, as are Twitter and Facebook, instrumental in Egypt's protest movement.

Also, few of the country's internet users seek out politically subversive content.