Residents of a southern Chinese village once seen as a cradle of grass-roots democracy were in shock on Wednesday after a "wild crackdown" by police in clashes with protesters, which they said led to about 70 people being detained.
Hong Kong rights activists fear Tuesday's violence marks a last-ditch push to silence Wukan, a fishing village in the province of Guangdong, which received international attention when a 2011 uprising over land grabs forced authorities to back down and grant local direct elections.
"Most people have been scared badly," said a villager named Chen. "This time it was a wild crackdown. They went after everyone, chasing them up into their houses, beating people."