The artists say they took to the streets after scores of masked men assaulted some of the artists in an attempt to forcibly evict them from their studios. They claim the men were sent by real estate developers. Among those seriously injured were Wu Yuren, a 39 year old a photographer, Satoshi Iwama, a Japanese artist and artist Liu Yi who received 16 stitches after a blow to the head.

"The leader of gang took away my cell phone and instructed his four or five men to beat me with wooden planks and iron bars," recalls Liu Yi. "How I finally ended up on the ground, I can not remember."

Developers and the authorities

Over a dozen artists' villages such as Zhengyang are facing demolition in Beijing. The artists living there say the developers want them to move out of the land and make way for commercial buildings and malls. This comes despite the fact that they have signed leases of 20-30 years with developers. In December, the electricity, water and gas supplies of some of the buildings were cut off by landlords. The artists believe the developers are aided in their land grabs by local authorities.

"Officials and business people act together," says Liu. "It's all about money. They keep the Mafia guys for their own purposes."

The local authorities have denied the charges. They have promised an investigation into the recent incidences of assaults. The head of Chaoyang district, where the village Zhengyang is located, has ordered local authorities to install video cameras there and to protect the artists.

Meanwhile the artists have vowed not to bow down to the developers’ demands. "This is an issue of dignity," says Wu Yuren. "Everyone has the right to live with dignity, but there have been attempts to take that dignity away from us." They want to continue their protests.

du/rk/AFP
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein