Outrage: Beijing Subway calls passengers 'locusts'   

北京地鐵官方微博稱不文明乘客為“蝗蟲”引爭議

昨天上午11點09分，北京地鐵發布一條官方微博稱“蝗蟲”過后的10號線一片狼藉，配圖是一節滿地小廣告和垃圾的地鐵車廂照片。該微博迅速在網上傳開并引起很大爭議，不少乘客認為“蝗蟲”一詞用詞不當。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The Beijing Subway has sparked public outrage for using the term "locusts" to describe passengers.

The subway made the statement Sunday on its official Weibo, or microblog account. It read: "When 'locusts' commute via Line 10, the subway line becomes a mess due to all the trash they leave behind on the trains... for those that intentionally destroy Beijing with bad behavior, all we can say is 'You are not welcome!'"

The post had been followed over 4,000 times and attracted more than 3,000 comments before it was taken down.

The term "locusts" and the statement "You are not welcome!" have been criticized as discriminatory against the immigrant population in the city.

"Beijing subway authorities should specify that people who litter are not welcome, as it's unfair to assume that all migrant workers litter," said a netizen.

"When they say that Beijing does not welcome you, it sounds like they mean anyone who is a non-local, while in fact they only mean people who throw their garbage everywhere," said another netizen.

Others pointed out that the lack of garbage cans on the trains is the major reason for the littering.

"Instead of blaming passengers for littering, the Beijing Subway should be held accountable for poor management," said a netizen named Wuqilun.

A subway official said the inappropriate remark was made by an editor, whose intention was to call for civilized behavior by railway passengers.