The state-run English-language China Daily newspaper on Saturday that a group of over a 100 gay men confronted the police last Tuesday after the police asked a “large” group of homosexuals to leave Renmin Gongyuan (People's Park/广州人民公园). The police action was the latest in a series of similar incidents of asking gay men to leave the park that is known to be a cruising spot.

Some 110 men were arrested in two raids in March and April this year.

"The park is open for everyone," Ah Qiang, a volunteer of a Guangzhou-based gay organiaation was quoted as saying. "Why are we not allowed to stay here?"

The report quoted an unnamed police officer with the Guangwei subdistrict public security station who said the move to ask homosexuals to leave the park was a preventive measure because gay men are allegedly committing crimes such as robbery and theft in the park.

Ah Qiang, who frequently conducts a safe sex outreach programme with a group of 30 volunteers at the park, refuted the claim saying that the men were in fact the victims and not the perpetrators of crimes.

He said the men managed to stand their ground and got the police to leave the park instead.