Lin Zuluan

The Chinese fishing village of Wukan staged a fourth straight day of protests on Wednesday against what residents say was the unlawful arrest of the village chief, a rare show of grassroots defiance against authorities in Communist China.

Authorities in southern China have detained the chief of a village that was once hailed as a model for grassroots democracy, accusing him of accepting bribes, while deploying hundreds of riot police to stave off potential trouble.

The Chinese fishing village of Wukan staged a fourth straight day of protests on Wednesday against what residents say was the unlawful arrest of the village chief, a rare show of grassroots defiance against authorities in Communist China.

Authorities in southern China have detained the chief of a village that was once hailed as a model for grassroots democracy, accusing him of accepting bribes, while deploying hundreds of riot police to stave off potential trouble.