Huankantou, China
Thousands of villagers rioted this week after two elderly women were killed protesting pollution. Some 200 elderly women have been camped out for weeks outside a chemical factory, claiming that its fumes are causing birth defects in the region. When police tried to break up their tent city and remove the protesters, two women were run over and killed. As word of the incident spread, the entire region erupted, and rock-throwing mobs overran police stations and other government offices. It took 3,000 riot police and a pitched battle to restore order.
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