Soon after announcing that “inciting” self-immolation would be prosecuted as murder, Chinese authorities arrested a monk and his nephew in Sichuan Province for “goading” people to set themselves alight. Global Times Chief Editor Hu Xijin condemned these “murderers,” and the Dalai Lama, on Weibo:
Dazed netizens complained that Hu’s comments came out of
nowhere–before last week, the Chinese press had been silent on the
violence in Tibet. Many couldn’t believe that people could be simply
“incited” to set themselves on fire. They also called Hu’s bluff on his
proclamation that “life is above politics,” since he tows the Party line
for a state-run newspaper. Some of the comments:
zhaochu1962:
Almost none of these cases of self-immolation were allowed to be
reported. When people go from ignorance to awareness, of course they
will suspect this kind of case-cracking. Burning yourself to death
because you were goaded–sounds like a fantasy story. Suicide
is not a crime. The evolution of the situation in Tibet to today’s
tragic state requires consideration of policy, not dubious victories to
anesthetize the public. If we are to maintain unity [of the country], we
must face this issue head-on.
赵楚: 当这些自焚案件几乎不让报道，人们也从无知晓时，这种破案必定会令人生疑。因为教唆就会去自焚，这样的话听来彷佛天方夜谭。自杀不是一种罪行，藏区局势演化到今日可悲的地步要做政策的反思，不要用这些可疑的胜利消息来麻醉公众，要维护统一必须正视问题。
AuthorTianYou-: Any mishap among the Tibetans is the one of the Dalai Lama’s conspiracies, and any mishap among the Xinjiang people [Uyghurs] is one of Rebiya Kadeer’s tricks.
作家天佑–:凡是藏人出事都是达赖的阴谋，凡是疆人出事全是热比娅的诡计。
Iamyuqianqiansmother:
If you’re going to write a fiction, at least provide some decent
details. What’s truly vicious is framing people groundlessly like this. 96 people have self-immolated, but there’s not one word about it in domestically. The U.S. Congress
has already stated it is watching the situation closely, so you all,
@HuXijin, go and frame the Dalai Lama. You’re playing like gangsters.
我是遇谦谦她妈：编段子也该编出点像样的细节，这种莫须有的栽赃才是真恶毒。已经96人自焚了，国内毫无报道，美国国会已经表示严重关注，所以你们 @胡锡进 就栽赃给达赖。真是耍流氓。
smallhateforbooks: In this instance, Editor Hu says life is above politics, but in every other case he’ll say politics is above life.
读书恨少：胡编对此事说生命高于政治，而对其他事就会说政治高于生命。
freeCrow: What a load of crap. Why would someone self-immolate just because they were “goaded”?
自由的乌鸦：扯淡。为何一“教唆”，就有人去自焚？
yangdingzhi: I’m in favor of Chief Hu self-immolating. I’ll donate 20 for funeral arrangements. //@TujiaWildman: I’d like to goad Chief Hu to self-immolate, then turn myself in. Is that doable?
澎湃在这：支持胡总自焚，我捐20善后 //@土家野夫: 我想唆使胡总自焚并领罪。可能乎？
shileimemeda: When I go to Tibet, it’s crawling with armed police
and real guns. There are military checkpoints all over. So-called
“national unity,” heh heh. If it was real unity, you would respect their
gods. Some Party would mold itself into the saviors of the people, but
in reality manufactured so many cases of murder. Economic development is
gained in exchange for the resources of countless generations and the
happiness of the people. I think this type of united celebration comes
only from goading.
石磊么么哒：我去西藏处处武警，真枪，到处安检查岗，所谓的民族团结，呵呵。真正的团结是你真正信奉他的神，某些党把自己塑造成人民的拯救者，殊不知你制造了多少累累血案，经济的发展是用绵延子孙的资源和人民的幸福换来的，这样的普天同庆我看就是教唆才能来的吧
jiaxuTalktomyself: Oh Hu Xijin, you are a great, glorious, and correct,
fair and selfless Communist Party member! You devote everything to the
world’s most worthy causes! You ought to give your life for such lofty
goals. If you go die today, it will be a powerful testament to the
crimes of the old monks! This testament ought only come from you, and can only come from you! Now go die!!!–Did my goading work?
jiaxu自语：胡锡进啊，您是一名伟大光荣正确的大公无私的一切交给世界上最崇高事业的共产党员！你应该为这样的伟大事业献身吧，今天你如果去死，会给老和尚的罪恶作出有力的证明！这个证明应该而且只能你做了！你去死吧！！！—————我的教唆有用吗？
Anthony:
Funny, I’d never heard of this case, and all of the sudden it’s been
solved… Chief Hu, could you please post a little shout-out to freedom of
the press and abolishing media censorship?
安淘泥：奇怪了，从来没有听过案件，现在忽然冒出来来个破案……胡总，麻烦您，发一条微博，先忽悠一下新闻自由，取消媒体审查制。
CitizenMarshalSYuan:
Life is above politics? (Human rights are above sovereign rights?) God,
this is a blatant declaration of leaving the Party! Editor Hu moves us
once again.
公民MarshalSYuan: 生命高於政治？（人權高於主權？）天哪，這是赤裸裸的退黨宣言啊！胡編又讓人感動了一回
LajiesSky:
Who will believe you? You didn’t say a word when these things were
happening. I guess the pressure [of the situation] has forced you to
make up something.
拉杰的天空：谁还会相信你们呢。在发生时你们没有一字的报道。迫于压力你们编吧。
