Authorities tried to censor online content about the infrequent protests when demonstrations over China’s draconian “Zero COVID” policy erupted in a number of locations.
The central government’s “zero-COVID” policy, which sees officials apply sudden lockdowns, protracted quarantines, and mass testing campaigns over only a few cases, has fueled the demonstrations.
A deadly fire that occurred on Thursday in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang in northwest China, has reignited public unrest, with many accusing COVID lockdowns of impeding rescue attempts. Meanwhile, officials refute the allegations. After the deadly fire, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the government buildings in Urumqi and chanted, “Lift lockdowns!”
At least 400 people congregated for several hours on the banks of a river in Beijing on Sunday night, with some shouting, “We are all Xinjiang people!” “Chinese people, go!”
Police and protesters clashed in Shanghai’s downtown as officers attempted to evict people from the scene. Shanghai is China’s largest city. Some of them were seen chanting, “We are all Xinjiang people! Go Chinese people!”
There were reports of protests on Sunday in Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hong Kong in addition to Wuhan, the central city where COVID-19 first surfaced.
Around 200 to 300 students demonstrated against lockdowns earlier on Sunday at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University. Similar protests were seen on camera on campuses in Xi’an, Guangzhou, and Wuhan.
The search terms “Liangma River” and “Urumqi Road,” the locations of protests in Beijing and Shanghai, appeared to have been deleted by state censors from any mention of the gatherings on the Twitter-like Weibo platform.
The BBC reported on Sunday that one of its reporters working in China had been handcuffed, arrested, and assaulted by police while they covered protests in Shanghai.
On Monday, China reported 40,052 domestic COVID-19 cases, a record number but one that pales in comparison to the number of cases in the West during the time of the epidemic.
(With inputs from AFP and various other news sources)
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