On September 17, 2012, the state-sponsored Caixin Magazine published a report entitled "
Closer Look: How a Protest in Beijing Stuck to the Script." An excerpt:
A nearby street was filled with police, most of them relaxed. When I photographed the protest, he smiled and said: "You can join the protest."
"Can I? Won't I be pulled out?" I asked.
"Since it is me who let you in, who dares pull you out!" he said.
"But I haven't applied for permission," I said.
"It is OK. The organizer has applied," he said.
A middle-aged policeman also encouraged me to join the parade.
"Can I shout 'Punish corruptions'?" I inquired.
"No, you can't!" the middle-aged officer said, suddenly seriously.
"Only slogans concerned with Diaoyu Islands are allowed," a young policeman chimed in. 
我们用手机拍照,一位年纪大约二十七八的警察笑眯眯地动员我:到队伍里面去拍吧,跟着他们走一圈。我问:我能进去吗?不会撵我出来?他继续动员:我让你进的还有谁会撵你?我说:我没有申请啊。不用,带头的人申请就行了。他说。
一中年警察也动员我们加入到游行队伍中去,我问:“我喊惩治腐败行吗?”他神情严肃地冲摆手:“不行。”一边的年轻警察插话:“只能喊与钓鱼岛有关的。”
The following photos were taken at the protests, and show what kind of slogans the police presumably deemed to be permissible.
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| "China is of one heart, bathe Tokyo in blood." | 
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| Protesters burn a Japanese flag while others hold poster saying: "Fuck You." | 
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| "Our hatred is irreconcilable / We beg the government to launch a war." | 
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"Boycotting Japanese good begins with me. 
Anger without action is meaningless. 
There is no negotiating issues of sovereign territory, there is only war." | 
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| "Declare war on Japan." | 
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| "China is unanimous, Destroy little Japan." | 
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| The red banner reads: "Cut off the heads of the Japanese devils with six cuts." | 
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| "Declare war on Japan, Blood debts paid must be paid in blood." | 
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| The sign on the left reads: "Japanese assholes, get the fuck out of China." | 
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| The sign on the right reads: "Declare war on Japan / I will donate 10k." | 
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| The Mao t-shirt reads: "Start a war." | 
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| "Bring down Japan even if it means the country's land is rendered barren." | 
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| The sign under the pinwheel reads "Little Japanese / Go die!" | 
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The t-shirt says: "Blow up Japan / I can stop watching AV." 
("AV" is a reference to Japanese adult films.) | 
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| "Flatten your Tokyo" | 
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| "Flatten Tokyo / Return my Diaoyu Islands" | 
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| "Take back the Diaoyu Islands, even if it means killing everyone in Japan." | 
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| "Slaughter all little Japanese, return my Diaoyu Islands." | 
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| "China should take action and kill the Japanese dogs." | 
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"Chairman Mao come back soon 
Little Japanese are invading us again." | 
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| "Defend the Diaoyu Islands / Don't bother with negotiating / Resolve this with armed force." | 
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"The Diaoyu Islands Belong to China 
Sola Aoi Belongs to the World" 
(Sola Aoi is a Japanese adult film star) | 
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The man behind the boy is holding a sign saying: 
"Japanese devils / Get the hell out of the Diaoyu Islands, otherwise I will 
let my son piss on you." | 
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| The white banner reads: "Flatten Tokyo." |