'Insane' comments draw protests at Peking Univ.

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-09 21:49

BEIJING -- More than 200 protestors have held an angry vigil at Peking University since Wednesday in response to a professor's controversial remarks on mentally-ill petitioners, and more than 50 have been removed by police, a university official said Thursday.

Sun Dongdong, head of the university judicial expertise center, set off a firestorm by suggesting in the March 23 issue of China Newsweek that 99 percent of people who repeatedly petition the government were mentally ill.

Although he has since apologized, many would not let it go at that.

Protestors have rallied in front of the university with banners saying "We demand an explanation from Sun Dongdong" and some demanded to see Sun and the university's president, said Miao Jinxiang, a senior official with the university.

"Some protestors demanded that Sun should be fired," he added.

Miao said although Sun's letter of apology had been distributed to the protestors, they refused to leave.

"More than 50 protestors who refused to leave were taken away by police as of Thursday noon," he said.

In an online statement Monday, Sun said he had "absolutely no prejudice against those petitioners" and would take care with his words and behavior in the future.

Miao said no protestors had entered the campus.