Beijing (CNN) — Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said.<\/p>\n
“It was mostly a peaceful protest,” said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. “We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘Get out, refinery!’ together.”<\/p>\n
He added, “We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away.”<\/p>\n
“Every Kunming person cares about this issue,” said another Kunming native, a 50-year-old man who said rows of police thwarted his efforts to reach the heart of the protest. “The police kept blocking off the protest, block by block.”<\/p>\n
Local government officials did not respond to CNN phone calls for comment.<\/p>\n
Photos posted on Chinese social media sites showed uniformed and riot police surrounding groups of demonstrators.<\/p>\n
The five activists who spoke to CNN asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from Chinese authorities.<\/p>\n