Protesters staged a rare demonstration outside a Shanghai court on Monday in support of a jobless man who is appealing against his conviction for murdering six policemen.

Around a dozen people staged a brief protest at the beginning of the closed-door trial of Yang Jia, 28, who was sentenced to death last month for the murders.

Yang stormed into a Shanghai police station on July 1 and went on a stabbing frenzy, reportedly in revenge for being wrongfully detained on suspicion of stealing a bicycle.

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Chinese authorities on Monday gave out few details of the appeal and court officials refused to comment, continuing the secretive handling of a case that has generated controversy with Yang regarded by some as a victim.

Yang had become an Internet cult hero because his case raised questions about police harassment.

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In the street outside Shanghai’s Higher People’s Court, the protesters were taken away by police after donning T-shirts with Yang’s face on them and a quote from him reading: “If you don’t give me a reason then I will teach you a lesson.”

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