Ai Weiwei publishes number of China editor - ABC Melbourne - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The editor of a Chinese state-run paper and three others have been inundated with calls and texts after dissident artist Ai Weiwei put their numbers online in protest at things they had written about him.
Ai - who spent 81 days in police detention earlier this year and has been fighting what he calls politically motivated tax evasion charges - posted their mobile numbers on his Twitter account on Sunday.
Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, Wang Wen, a reporter at the paper, Wu Fatian, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, and Si Manan, a blogger, have since received hundreds of calls.
"This is no doubt one of his ways of expressing his political mood," Hu responded on Sina's weibo - a Chinese microblogging service similar to Twitter, which is banned in China.
"But I don't think this is a good method. As a celebrity, Ai Weiwei's behaviour has an impact on social morale. He should tread carefully."
Ai has accused the four of trying to damage his reputation through blog posts and articles they wrote during his detention and after he was freed in June, adding they have the state's support.
"They try to convince young people I'm in some kind of a conspiracy with the West," he said.
"But they never question why police detained me without any legal process."
The Global Times has published several editorials about Ai.
The latest questioned the level of domestic support for the artist, who has long been a thorn in the side of China's Communist authorities.
He is known for tallying the number of children who died in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake - a sensitive issue as it is touches on corruption.
Wu, who also blogs and is widely regarded as having pro-government views, said he was upset by the calls and texts.
"Many phone calls are from abroad - some people sent me dozens of the same text message within a minute," he said.
He also accused the artist of calling him earlier this month and threatening him.
"He should be detained for this according to law, but the police didn't detain him. The police have given him unprincipled protection," he said.
Ai last week began the process of challenging a bill for 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in alleged back taxes levelled against a firm he founded but is owned by his wife.
He said on Friday that he was also being probed for pornography.
