‘Nobody dared to show their face – it’s like they’re on the poker table’, says Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei of the moment when former president Hu Jintao was forcibly led out of the Communist Party Congress on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Ai claims Chinese officials wanted to prevent Hu from seeing details of Xi’s inner circle, which were offcially annouced at the end of the Congress.

Ai Weiwei, Chinese dissident artist: “What we see in these few seconds it’s just a reflection to see when a president was being forced out – not to let him know what was written in those papers. Those papers were supposed to have the name of the new bureau circle of Xi (politburo standing committee -ed). They must have some kind of deal before made but now what the reality must be has a complete different reality. So he was frustrated and wanted to touch the paper and the next person held his hand, pushed his hand away… those few seconds were caught by foreign media because they’d just rushed into the meeting.”

“So they called the president’s private guard to escort him out. Basically it’s to carry him out. So he was so frustrated. And the most funny thing is all the people sitting there, they daren’t even see what’s happening, they all faced like nothing happened. It’s very much like a fake photo of reality, because nobody moves, nobody blinks their eyes even.”

“But it shows the top central government or leaders are ruthless. So a big nation, 1.4 billion people, are controlled by a group of people who have no respect, not just for rule, but really doesn’t even have personal feelings, emotions, or even just friendship or to care a little bit. Nobody dared to show their face – it’s like they’re on the poker table.” ©AFP