China’s leader Xi Jinping wants a spree of mass killings termed "revenge on society crimes" that shocked the country not to happen again. He ordered local governments to prevent future “extreme cases.” The attacks, in which drivers mow down people on foot or knife-wielding assailants stab multiple victims, are not new in China. Still, the latest surge drew attention, reports the Associated Press. Local officials were quick to examine all sorts of personal disputes that could trigger aggression, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance. The increasing reach into people’s private lives raises concerns at a time when the Chinese state has already tightened its grip over all social and political aspects of life.
In November alone, three occurred: A man struck people at an elementary school in Hunan province, wounding 30, after suffering investment losses. A student who failed his examination stabbed and killed eight at a vocational school in the city of Yixing. The most victims, 35 people, resulted from a man mowing down a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai, supposedly upset over his divorce. There is an overwhelming feeling of being pressured within Chinese society, experts say. “On the surface, it seems like there are individual factors, but we see there’s a common link,” said Wu Qiang, a former political science professor. “This link is, in my personal opinion, every person has a feeling of injustice. They feel deeply that this society is very unfair and they can’t bear it anymore.” Since 2015, Chinese police have targeted human rights lawyers and non-profit advocacy groups, jailing many, while keeping tight surveillance on others. Xi has called on all local governments “to strengthen prevention and control of risks at the source, strictly prevent extreme cases from occurring, and to resolve conflicts and disputes in a timely manner,” according to the official Xinhua news agency. The Ministry of Justice promised to curtail conflicts by looking into squabbles over inheritance, housing, land and unpaid wages. Many expressed worry over how such disputes will be detected.