China Protests: Thousands of Chinese citizens from major cities and universities have taken to the streets to demand that they be freed not only from constant Covid tests and lockdowns, but also from rigorous censorship and the Communist Party’s growing hold over all aspects of life.
Protesters are also calling for the resignation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Across the country, “want freedom” has become a rallying cry for a wave of protests driven primarily by the younger generation. Massive protests are taking place in China against regulations that force millions of people to stay at home owing to the development of COVID. Following the large-scale agitations, the authorities modified anti-COVID laws in a few localities, but maintained its strong “zero- COVID” stance on Monday.
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“Give me liberty or give me death!”
“Give me liberty or give me death!” crowds yelled in many cities, according to YouTube recordings, as vigils marking the deaths of at least ten people in a fire in Xinjiang turned into political demonstrations. According to videos circulating online, China’s rigorous zero-Covid policy originally barred emergency workers from visiting the scene, infuriating residents across the country who had experienced three years of fluctuating Covid bans, according to CNN.
CNN has confirmed protests in 16 towns and institutions around the country, with indications of more protests in dozens of other cities and campuses.
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Demands of protesters
Protesters also screamed for free speech, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and other political demands in cities ranging from Shanghai in the east to Beijing in the capital, Guangzhou in the south, and Chengdu in the west.
While protests in some places of China appear to have dissolved peacefully over the weekend, some experienced a more stern response from authorities. In a country where authorities have extensive surveillance and security capabilities, security has been strengthened across cities.
On Monday evening, a large police presence was visible in Beijing, a day after protests erupted there. Young demonstrators around China held up sheets of white paper as a metaphor for the innumerable critical posts, news stories, and vocal social media accounts that have been removed from the internet in a symbolic protest against ever-tightening censorship.
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