Protests spread across China in biggest wave since Xi took power

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Protests against the restrictive Chinese zero Covid policy supported by the Xi Jinping regime multiplied this Sunday (27), with scenes recorded in cities like Beijing and Shanghai and at local universities. The wave of acts could be the biggest in mainland China since the leader took power from the Communist Party.

The sequence of civil disobedience began after a fire broke out in a residential building and left ten people dead on Thursday night (24) in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. For protesters in the capital Urumqi, maintaining the zero Covid policy caused the deaths.

China defends the zero Covid policy as a way to avoid overloading its health system. The strategy, which involves large-scale lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing, has dealt a heavy blow to the country’s economy.

In Shanghai, China’s most populous city, residents gathered on Saturday night (26) on Wulumuqi Highway for a candlelight vigil, which turned into a protest in the early hours of Sunday.

Under the observation of a group of police, demonstrators held up blank sheets of paper as a symbol of protest against censorship. According to videos that circulated on social media, protesters chanted “lift the blockade of Urumqi, lift the blockade of Xinjiang, lift the blockade across China”. The footage could not be verified.

According to witnesses and videos, a group later chanted “Down with the Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping”, in a rare public protest against the country’s leadership.

Hours later on Sunday, police maintained a strong presence on Wulumuqi Highway and cordoned off surrounding streets, according to footage that could not be verified. In the evening, hundreds of people gathered again near one of the cordons, some holding blank sheets of paper.

“I am here because of the fire in Urumqi. I am here for freedom. Winter is coming. We need freedom,” one protester told Reuters news agency.

At Tsinghua University in Beijing, dozens of people held a peaceful protest against restrictions to control Covid. They sang the Chinese national anthem, according to images and videos posted on social media.

In a video that could not be verified, a university student from Tsinghua urged the crowd to speak. “If we don’t dare to speak out because we are afraid, people will be disappointed in us.”

A student who saw the Tsinghua protest told the Reuters news agency that he felt surprised by the demonstration.

“People were very excited, it was impressive,” said the student, who preferred to remain anonymous.

The wave of public protests is rare in mainland China. For Dan Mattingly, assistant professor of political science at Yale University, in the United States, the demonstrations will put the Communist Party under pressure.

“There’s a good chance that a crackdown will be the answer, with arrests and lawsuits against protesters,” Mattingly said.

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