Two days after the deadliest known violent attack in China in a decade, officials were working to make it seem as if nothing had happened.

Outside the sports centre in the southern city of Zhuhai where a 62-year-old man had ploughed an SUV into a crowd, killing at least 35 people, workers on Wednesday quickly removed bouquets of flowers left by grieving residents. Uniformed police officers and officials in plainclothes shooed away bystanders and warned them not to take photos. At hospitals where patients were taken after the attack — at least 43 more people were injured — local officials sat outside the intensive care units, blocking journalists from speaking with family members.

“I’m here keeping watch,” one man, who identified himself as a local community worker, said when reporters entered the ward. “No interviews.”

On the Chinese Internet, censors were mobilised to delete videos, news articles and commentaries about the attack. Almost 24 hours had passed before officials divulged details about the assault, which happened on Monday, including the death toll. Their statement offered limited details.

The response was a precise enactment of the Chinese government’s usual playbook after mass tragedies: Prevent any non-official voices, including eyewitnesses and survivors, from speaking about the event. Spread assurances of stability. Minimise public displays of grief.

The goal is to stifle potential questions and criticism of the authorities, and force the public to move on as quickly as possible.

New York Times News Service