The controversial Chinese artist who helped design China’s “Birds Nest” Olympic stadium is in some legal trouble. The San Francisco chronicle reports Ai Weiwei is being fined millions by the Chinese government for tax evasion, but his supporters aren’t taking the charges lying down. Here’s Al Jazeera.

 

“Citizens have responded contributing over a million Chinese yuan in the first 24 hours alone. 5.3 million yuan 48 hours later, that’s $830,000 U.S. dollars and day after day, the money keeps coming.”

Not only are the controversial artist’s fans giving him their money, they’re literally throwing it at him in some pretty artistic ways. According to the Los Angeles Times Blog, supporters are folding money...

“Into paper airplanes that glided into the compound. Others wrapped the money around pieces of fruit and hurled it over the wall. Or more traditionally Chinese, they stuffed it into red envelopes. Ai is also taking contributions through PayPal."

 

But why are Weiwei’s fans paying his fine? Weiwei has long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese government through both his artwork and social media activity. He spoke to the BBC about his 81 day imprisonment earlier this year and says this latest fine just doesn’t make sense--it’s against a small company he says doesn’t even belong to him. 

WEIWEI: “They clearly tell me we had to charge you with this tax because we wanted to make people think that you’re a bad guy." 
ANCHOR: “It is a lot of money that they’re asking for. How much is the company worth?”
WEIWEI: “It’s a design company, there are only three people working there. They only have a few thousand yua`n--a few hundred dollars.” 

 

He’s promised to pay it all back -- but you might not want to toss in your money just yet, a writer for a Chinese state-run newspaper called Global Times took the Chinese government’s side -- skepticism.

“Since he's borrowing from the public, it at least looks like illegal fund-raising....Ai purchased an upscale apartment in Berlin last year, and had planned to buy a 4,800-square-meter studio this year also in Berlin. Does he need to borrow money to pay off his tax evasion?”
 

Weiwei says he’s “agonizing” over paying the bill as it might seem like he’s admitting guilt. According to the New Yorker he has 15 days to pay the tax or face some hefty fines--about 30 grand a day.