protest - A 'stern warning' from the top

Making sense out of China's policies is an art in itself. Last month a high official created a stir as he did not follow the normal track of official reasoning and praised farmers for fighting against corrupt local officials. As the People's Daily issued a statement last Thursday against social unrest and illegal action, media were fast in concluding things were back to normal, as here in the IHT.
Protecting stability comes before all else, it said. The statement was vague enough, I feel, since corrupt local officials who deny local citizens their legal rights act against the law in the same way farmer do so when they use violence to take back what is not given to them legally. Interesting times, for sure.