A textile worker's act of righteousness in Yibin, Sichuan

[新幹線]

At 11 a.m. on May 20th, a fire broke out at the Jinyu Textile Factory in Pingshan County, Yibin City, and the blaze has continued for three days. According to comments from netizens, this 22-year-old textile worker had previously been denied approval to resign, had 800 yuan of wages unjustly withheld, and after multiple attempts to claim his pay failed. Instead, he was provoked by the finance staff who are relatives of the capitalist owner. Their brutal attitude, combined with the capitalist’s cruel exploitation of workers, ignited the worker’s anger. He then stabbed the finance staff with a knife and set fire to the factory. Once this incident was exposed online, it was widely praised, with many feeling inspired by the worker’s actions, calling it a lesson taught to the “capitalists.” Although the worker inevitably faced suppression from the Chinese revisionists, his final resort to direct violent confrontation shows that the law is ultimately just a piece of paper. Whether legal channels succeed depends on the balance of class forces, so he had no other choice acting alone. This is not just about the 800 yuan wage dispute; it reflects the increasingly sharp class struggle between the Chinese revisionist bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Below are some netizen comments:

“A worker resigned, but they withheld 800 yuan from him. After several attempts to get it back, he set fire.”
“No wage owed but money was deducted because the finance staff is a relative of the factory.”
“Heard that 800 yuan was deducted and the employee set fire to a factory.”
“Heard it was deliberate, over 800 yuan wages, the boss refused to pay and beat him, so in anger he set the factory on fire. Not sure if true.”
“The fire burned the second and third workshops, only the first workshop was spared.”
“Yibin Textile Factory, a 22-year-old guy didn’t get his wages and set the factory on fire I’m watching the news. Once a person loses their weak spot, they fear nothing .”
“It started burning at 11 a.m. yesterday and is still burning now.”
“The boss was stabbed.”
“Wrong, it was the finance staff who was stabbed.”

“The boss finally understands what it feels like for workers to lose 800 yuan this time.”
“Well done, this is how you deal with heartless bosses.”
“Although the factory got burned, the boss saved 800 yuan in wages.”
“Bullied workers, used to bullying. Time to teach them a lesson.”
“Heartless capitalists deserve to be dealt with harshly.”
“The boss finally understands what it feels like for workers to lose 800 yuan, right?”
“A vivid and real lesson for all factory bosses who withhold wages.”
“I want to send this video to my boss.”
“800 yuan wages, the boss went bankrupt directly. The worker taught the boss a lesson.”
“It should be a lesson for all factory bosses nationwide.”

“If the young hero publicly shares an account, no matter how poor I am, I’m willing to support with three to five hundred ”
“Really worth crowdfunding, his light shines on all workers ”
“If the young man’s family needs help, I’ll join in.”
“We poor people should start a foundation to support those who fight for their rights, giving wages support to their families accordingly. ”
“I’ll donate 100 to hire a lawyer for him ”
“Donating to this family, her actions have illuminated everyone.”
“Just saw it, many people in the comments say donate to the young man’s parents, who have brought light for us all.”
“If the young hero publicly shares an account, no matter how poor I am, I’m willing to support with three to five hundred ”
“Brother, if someone comes out, I’ll donate too. Donations should be spent on this! For those who carry the fire, don’t let them freeze to death in the wind and snow!”
“Still hope the guy’s parents can come out, everyone donate a little so the elders can live comfortably.”
“I donated 300 to the young man because I’ve been exploited before, including now, with two months of unpaid performance bonuses!”
“I donated 1000 to the young man, he is a role model for workers.”
“I donated 100 to the brave young man’s fund! ”
“I donated 3000 ”
“When donations are needed, please @ me, I’ll contribute what I can.”
“Can I donate to the young man? I’ll give 500 personally.”
“My dream is to meet this brother who set the fire, want to transfer him 500 yuan.”
“How do I donate to the young man?”
“For those who carry the fire for everyone, don’t let them freeze to death in the wind and snow.”

[四八]

This incident also shows that an individual worker, aside from committing these violent acts, has no power at all when facing capitalists and their lackeys. It is not always possible to encounter someone like Comrade jqr who can outwit capitalists single-handedly.

Workers must understand that only by uniting can they have the strength and confidence to face oppression and injustice, and have the ability to fight against these actions.

What we can do now is to learn, engage in ideological struggle, become revolutionary intellectuals ourselves, and promote the conscious unity of workers and their struggle!

[红术]

JQR did not outsmart the capitalists by his own efforts alone; it was also because he had previously embraced Marxism, knew the importance of relying on the masses, and indeed received support from the masses during the struggle. It is by relying on the power of the masses that one can fight against the capitalists.

[万里涛]

We need to unite and organize ourselves.

[四八]

Hello! Wan Litao, you are very right. For the victory of the struggle, the only way is to unite not only in organization but also in thought.

In your introduction, you mentioned that you are studying and practicing Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. You can write about your experiences, introduce yourself to everyone, so that everyone can get to know you and participate in the discussion.

Before self-introduction, please review the forum’s requirements for self-introduction, and you can also refer to other people’s self-introductions.

[青松]

I saw two interesting comments under the related video

Blockquote
“Let’s keep things separate, has the 800 yuan been paid now?”
“The boss is making 800 with tears in his eyes”

[spirit.boxers]

I think we should continue to pay attention to the Nazi trial results for this worker. Do you think the Nazis might treat him more leniently due to public opinion pressure from the masses?

[新幹線]

Indeed, we can follow up on the subsequent handling situation

[校长-布]

It’s unlikely; the Nazis would definitely have brutally suppressed such acts of resistance.

[zqjjcw]

It may be slightly mitigated. The Nazis publicly emphasized that they would not handle the case based on public opinion and that it would be “handled impartially,” but in reality, public opinion had a significant influence, and sentencing was also affected. For example, in the previous cases of Xu Jiajin and the hit-and-run, the verdict and execution of the death penalty took only a little over two months, which is hard to imagine under normal circumstances. Also, the previous sentencing of three minors for burying a classmate alive set a precedent. If the public outcry is very strong this time, it might indeed be “appropriately mitigated,” but it is also possible that the central correctional committee will directly impose a heavy sentence. I tend to think they dare not impose a heavier sentence.

[瓦西里]

It turns out that more than 800 was deducted, and more than 5,000 was owed. The amount circulating online is indeed incorrect; the amount is less.

[鞍文燎]

This police report is simply outrageous, just like when I saw the police report edited by the corrupt police after a student jumped off a building at a certain university. First, it spends a large portion describing the victim (whom they see as a criminal) in terms of their family background, then labels the person as “pessimistic and misanthropic,” “introverted,” and “dropout,” portraying the victim as if they were some kind of delinquent. Furthermore, it uses euphemistic language regarding the core facts, saying that after completing the resignation procedures and settling the remaining 5370 yuan salary, Mr. Wen immediately requested on-site payment of wages. Later it simply turns into: considering Mr. Wen’s actual situation, the finance manager agreed to advance the payment. I wonder, how did the corrupt police themselves just ignore the provisions written in their own official document “Interim Regulations on Wage Payment”? How did it become that the finance department sympathized with the employee and agreed to advance the payment? Why not say that not settling on-site is illegal? Even more ridiculous is what comes next. The report says that because his personal wishes were not met in time, he developed a “throwing in the towel” mentality. This is just too laughable. I think if the corrupt police’s own legal provisions are not enforced by the government, then it just becomes a matter of personal wishes not being fulfilled, right? It’s completely a narrative siding with the factory owners, beautifying the exploitative class with euphemistic language.

[新幹線]

This police report is completely nonsensical. From the standpoint of defending the reactionary Nazi regime, it does not mention at all how capitalist enterprises exploit and oppress workers, nor how the financial authorities arrogantly provoke the workers. It portrays the victims as criminals and the oppressors as victims. It describes workers being forced into a situation where they have no choice but to “destroy” themselves as a subjective act of giving up, which is extremely infuriating. We should firmly uphold: revolution is not a crime, rebellion is justified!

[zqjjcw]

Unbelievable, I am truly shocked. What is written here is completely contradictory, distorts the facts, and makes no sense. Earlier it says “agreed to advance payment,” but regardless, the revised law itself stipulates that wages must be settled immediately after resignation. Here, it is absurdly twisted into some kind-hearted lord “considering the actual situation, agreed to advance payment.” Moreover, if the capitalist really agreed to advance payment and paid the wages within five days, why would a mother with a sick child still set fire? Isn’t this pure nonsense?

[1967.1]

This report vividly exposes the ugly face of the dog revisionists and dog Nazi police. They issued March’s salary at the end of April. They refuse to pay April’s salary and even whitewash it by saying it was the workers who requested early payment. They refuse to pay what should have been paid earlier, and after delaying for a month, they claim it’s written in the contract. Now this group of Nazis openly brazenly claim that delaying salary payment by a month is stipulated in the contract!

[初阳]

Once the capitalists and their lapdogs are settled, they come to suppress public opinion and reverse the counterattack^[1]

---

1. 传四川一纺织厂员工被欠薪后纵火 警方称拖欠工资属谣言

   ↩︎