Is it illegal for merchants to pull banners and ask landlords to reduce rents?

Merchants pulling banners generally belong to market economic disputes, which is difficult to define. It is generally not illegal without particularly serious consequences. If there is a criminal violation in the process, it is illegal. However, it may be punished by public security administration.

According to the second paragraph of Article 23 of the Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) on Public Security Administration Punishment, the public security organ shall give the perpetrator a warning or impose a fine of not more than 200 yuan on any act that disturbs the order of stations, ports, docks, airports, shopping malls, parks, exhibition halls or other public places; If the circumstances are serious, they shall be detained for not less than five days but not more than ten days, and may also be fined not more than 500 yuan.

Paragraph 1 of Article 290 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC): If a crowd is gathered to disturb social order, and the circumstances are serious, so that work, production, management, teaching and scientific research cannot be carried out and serious losses are caused, the ringleaders shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years; Other active participants shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, public surveillance or deprivation of political rights.

If there are other excessive acts such as shocks, it may constitute the crime of gathering people to disturb social order.

To sum up, it is not illegal to simply pull a banner and ask the landlord to reduce rent without any other behavior.