Many are calling for better protection for gig workers, while the police have urged the public to be kind.

Chinese authorities have called for gig workers to be treated with kindness after videos of a delivery rider kneeling before a security guard led to protests by dozens of riders.

Guards stopped the rider from leaving a building in Hangzhou on Monday - saying he damaged railings while scaling them during a rushed delivery.

Worried that his subsequent deliveries would be delayed, the rider got on his knees and pleaded to be let go, the city’s police said in a statement.

The incident sparked outrage online, with many urging better protections for workers in the industry.

  • @jpreston2005English
    37•24 days ago

    Incidents of riders clashing with security guards in China have made headlines in the past.

    In January this year, a delivery rider in the eastern city of Qingdao was stabbed to death by a security guard for entering a building without authorisation.

    Just another story about how even the tiniest mote of power can corrupt.