Supporters Protest as China Puts Rights Advocate on Trial The Chinese authorities put one of the country's best-known legal advocates, Xu Zhiyong, on trial on Wednesday. His alleged crime: instigating street protests during which participants railed against official corruption and criticized education policies they said discriminate against rural children. But despite a heavy police presence - and the decision to hold the trial just before the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday - scores of Mr. Xu's supporters flocked to the No. 1 Intermediate Courthouse in Beijing and did exactly what the authorities most feared: They staged a noisy protest in front of foreign reporters, some of whom were bundled off by the police or had their camera equipment broken. Mr. Xu is one of at least eight activists who were scheduled to go on trial this week. The cases are seen by human rights advocates as an effort to thwart the New Citizens Movement, a grass-roots effort by Mr. Xu and his allies to fight corruption and promote transparency in government.