Beijing's sharp power targets a Sydney council
At least 100 of Zhou's supporters had been mobilised, meeting at the Eastwood railway station, before taking the 515 bus to Top Ryde and lining up for the limited seats inside the council chamber well before proceedings began at 7:30pm.
The police were in position and security guards patrolled the perimeter. A safety warning had been circulated in the hours before the meeting and new measures put in place to ensure passion and advocacy didn’t spill-over into violence.
It was Tuesday evening and the Ryde City Council was due to meet above the local library on the north-western fringe of Sydney.
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