China’s mass killings spark calls for support and understanding to prevent repeat

Chinese legal experts urge authorities to dig deeper for reasons behind ‘revenge’ incidents after spate of deadly attacks

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A security guard keeps watch from behind barricades near the entrance to a sports centre in Zhuhai, China, where 35 people were killed when a car was driven into a crowd of people on November 11. Photo: AP

Published: 6:16pm, 24 Nov 2024Updated: 12:30am, 25 Nov 2024

Following a spate of mass killings in China, the country’s legal professionals are calling for better mental health and social resources while urging authorities to dig for the deeper reasons behind these attacks.

On the evening of November 11, a car was driven into a crowd of people exercising at a sports centre in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing 35 and injuring 43. The suspect, who tried to take his own life, was promptly taken away by police and is being treated in hospital. Police said at the time he might have been motivated by his anger about a recent divorce settlement.

Before the public had a chance to recover from the shock, the country was faced with its second mass killing in less than a week. A knifeman killed eight and injured 17 at a college in Yixing in the eastern province of Jiangsu on November 16.

The 21-year-old suspect had studied at the institute, and police said he was unhappy with his low pay at a factory internship.

Three days later, an SUV hit a group of parents and children outside a primary school in Changde, in the central province of Hunan. Local police reported that several children were injured and needed hospital treatment, but there were no deaths. The suspect is a 39-year-old named Huang.

Some people have questioned whether there was a pattern to the attacks. Chinese authorities typically label them as “isolated incidents” or focus only on the personal motives of suspects, such as being divorced or jobless.