As many as 20,000 rural Chinese workers, unhappy with government corruption and increasing public transportation costs, faced off with about 1,000 police officers in China’s Hunan province this weekend. The class-driven protests escalated into violent showdowns Friday, just as government legislators assembled in Beijing for the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress.

BBC:

The Boxun Chinese news website said the clash was sparked by rising public transport costs. A witness told the BBC sporadic incidents continued on Monday.

Rural regions of China have seen mounting unrest in recent years.

Thousands of protests were held last year amid growing discontent over the widening gap between rich and poor and corruption among officials at the local level and above.

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