Is the policy of “zero covid cases” causing new Tiananmen? Beijing is stepping up its crackdown

An unprecedented wave of protests, reminiscent of the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, has swept across China as protesters demand an end to Beijing’s extreme coronavirus restrictions. The powerful Chinese government of Xi Jinping is stepping up repression and censorship, appearing to worry about popular discontent reminiscent of ’89, only then the demand was for more democracy, while now protesters are demanding freedom from the shackles of back-to-back lockdowns.

The protests are taking on the proportions of a widespread uprising from Shanghai to the far northwestern province of Shikig, where persecution of Turkish-speaking Muslim Uighurs has been reported, while the BBC reported that its journalist covering the unrest was beaten and kicked by Chinese police, prompting a strong reaction from London.

Protesters and police clashed in Shanghai on Sunday night, despite being forcibly removed by police just hours earlier.

Sky’s envoy to Shanghai described the atmosphere in the morning as “very, very tense”, adding that it was currently not safe to be near the center of the protests because of the police presence.

This is the third night of chaos that has spread across some of the country’s biggest cities, including Wuhanwhere the coronavirus broke out almost three years ago.

On Sunday night, the BBC announced that one of its staff, Ed Lawrence, who is an accredited journalist, had alleged that he was “hit and kicked by the police” while covering the protests. Footage on social media suggests that he is dragged to the ground in handcuffs, while in another video he was seen saying: “Call the consulate now.”

According to Chinese officials, Lawrence he was arrested… “for his own good” because he was at risk of contracting COVID from the crowd, but the BBC said it was “extremely concerned” about how he was treated by authorities, adding that he was held for several hours before being released. China’s foreign ministry said Lawrence did not claim to be a journalist and that the BBC’s statement “does not reflect what happened”.

Shanghai has been under strict lockdown for more than three months to combat the spread of the coronavirus as part of China’s “zero cases of COVID” policy.

Due to strict control of information by the Chinese authorities and restrictions on movement within the country it is difficult to confirm the total number of protesters. But such demonstrations are extremely rare in China due to the crackdown on any form of opposition.

The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article today warning of the possibility of “paralysis” and “fatigue” due to the “zero covid” policy, without however, to ask her to change.

“People have now reached the boiling point because there is no clear direction on the road to the end of the zero-covid policy,” explained Alfred Wu Muluan, an expert on Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore. “The party underestimated the anger of the people,” he added.

The unrest comes just weeks after the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China, in which Xi Jinping assumed superpowers, “tarnishing” his image. The protests have unnerved investors and Asian stock markets opened lower in the morning.

AMPE –

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