China enforces security and censorship to thwart new protests

After several protests took place on the streets of China’s major cities over the weekend, Chinese authorities today sought to contain a repeat of the protests, in which the public criticizes the strict restrictions imposed by the covid-zero policy and demands more freedom.

Responding to calls posted on social media on Sunday, thousands took to the streets in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan. Protesters chanted phrases such as “Xi Jinping is resigning!”, “CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is resigning” or “No isolation, we want freedom”.

Social discontent has grown in recent months in China, one of the few countries that continues to implement a so-called “covid zero” policy against Covid-19, which includes large-scale quarantines and almost daily PCR testing.

Public outcry has escalated after a fire in the (northwest) capital of Xinjiang province, Urumqi, killed 10 people. Many people think that rescue efforts are hampered by restrictions against covid-19.

After the tragedy in Urumqi, a city with a population of 4 million, authorities eased restrictions in the region: from Tuesday, it will be possible to use buses for shopping, and commercial establishments in “low risk” areas will be able to partially continue their activities. activities.

However, it seems that any information about the demonstrations has been deleted from all Chinese social media.

On the Weibo platform, a type of Chinese Twitter, searches for “Liangma River” and “Urumqi Street” did not return any mobilization-related results.

During the protests, the public also demanded greater political freedom, and some even demanded the resignation of President Xi Jinping, who has just won his third term as head of state.

Strengthened police apparatus and arrest of British journalist. This Monday morning, police have been deployed to various parts of Beijing and Shanghai, close to where Sunday’s protests were held.

In Shanghai, two people were arrested near Urumqi Street, where a demonstration was held the previous day.

One officer said one of them “did not follow police orders”.

Security forces teams also dispersed people to the scene, forcing protesters to delete photos on their smartphones, according to an AFP reporter.

When questioned, Shanghai police did not disclose how many people were arrested over the weekend.

In this city, BBC reporter Ed Lawrence was arrested and “assaulted by the police”, something British Enterprise Minister Grant Shapps considered “unacceptable and alarming”, according to the British broadcaster.

Heavy clashes broke out between security forces and demonstrators in Shanghai on Sunday. Some people held up blank papers as a gesture to denounce the censorship, and many were arrested.

Police vehicles were sent to the Liangma River in Beijing, where more than 400 youths were shouting “We all reside in Xinjiang” on Sunday.

*with information from AFP