Chinese Police Use Large Banners to Conceal Crackdown on Protesters over Unfinished Buildings, Netizens Mock “Shame Cloth”

China’s ongoing problem with unfinished real estate projects has left countless victims in its wake. Recently, videos circulating online show homeowners protesting for their rights, only to be met with police suppression. During these crackdowns, authorities deployed large banners to obscure the arrests, sparking criticism and ridicule from netizens who sarcastically dubbed them “shame cloths.”

On social media platforms such as X and Threads, users have shared footage allegedly taken on the 11th at Hongdou Wealth Plaza in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, where a group gathered to protest. Reports indicate that these were homeowners from the Hongdou Xiangjiang Huafu development in Jiangyin, who have organized multiple protests in response to their stalled project.

The videos show a heavy police presence at the scene, with many officers holding up large blue banners emblazoned with phrases like “Police Enforcing the Law” and “No Entry.” As protesters were forcibly removed from the area, these “shame cloths” closely followed, attempting to block the view, which quickly became a topic of discussion online.

Netizens responded with comments such as, “Is this the legendary shame cloth?” and “Such a literal shame cloth.” Others remarked, “Not only shame cloths, but also all kinds of shame walls in China,” and “Turns out they’re afraid of people filming, so they just use cloth to block and carry people away—looks like those detained are in real danger.” Some noted, “Protests are happening everywhere; the economic downturn is starting to affect the livelihoods of ordinary people.”

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