CHINA — Stringent Covid restrictions in China not only cost the country precious time in its recovery in its economy but also stroking public frustration as more and more tormented and fatigued citizens suffer under prolonged lockdown and travel restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities.
On 24 November, a deadly apartment fire broke out in China’s northwest Xinjiang region, triggering a wave of public anger over the country’s zero-Covid policy.
Ten people were killed and nine injured when the blaze ripped through a residential building in the regional capital Urumqi, with many blaming lengthy lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts.
According to AFP, hundreds of people took to the streets in China’s major cities on Sunday to protest against the country’s zero-Covid policy.
In the central megacity of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged, multiple livestreams that were quickly censored showed crowds walking through the streets cheering and filming on their phones.
And in downtown Shanghai, AFP saw police clashing with groups of protestors, as officers tried to move people away from the site of an earlier demonstration on Wulumuqi street — named after the Mandarin for Urumqi.
The crowd in one of the videos shared on Twitter can be heard shouting:”Xi Jinping! Step down!”
上海乌鲁木齐路 最新视频
民众齐声高喊“共产党下台 习近平下台”
马路对面的警察并未阻止 pic.twitter.com/Vh40idZWWy— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) November 26, 2022
In another video shared by Twitter user Vivian Wu describes Chengdu people walking peacefully on streets, chanting “We don’t want Covid test. We want freedom”.
Just in.#Chengdu ppl were walking peacefully on streets, chanting “ we don’t want Covid virus test. We want freedom”. The crowds gathered since around 8pm and continued till 2am at least local time. #ChinaProtests pic.twitter.com/ptFjdjjOOE
— Vivian Wu (@vivianwubeijing) November 27, 2022
Another Twitter user shared a video showing people gathering at Beijing Sitong Bridge, holding pieces of white paper, shouting “We want freedom! (要自由)！”
1. 北京四通桥，人民回来了 pic.twitter.com/xI5fjQjxIV
— 盒平子 (@C37126778) November 27, 2022
Sitong Bridge well-known for a previous protest event, when a lone protester hung banners on the bridge on 13 October, urging “dictator Xi” to step down with loudspeaker.
China netizen poured their anger regarding Xinjiang fire incident
China citizens usually refrain from criticising CCP party and its leader publicly, fearing that they could get prosecuted under various draconian laws, such as the “inciting subversion of state power”.
Images and videos related to protests had since been taken down or censored on China social media. But there are still some commentaries and public opinion posts expressing strong views against the prolonged Zero COVID policy.
Besides protesting on the streets, some netizens had commented in various subtle ways on Weibo, criticizing the lockdown policy and the Xinjiang fire incident.
A Weibo user 导演乔乔JOJO wrote: “As netizen said, sooner or later the people’s rage will burn up to your precarious black gauze cap(乌纱帽)”
Another user 若人先生, a writer and Weibo Host, commented:
“When you praise to the world, everywhere you go is blue sky and warm sun;
When the society played elegy, grassroots became lambs to be slaughtered;
Raging fire took away the fresh life, ended the hundred day’s silence, but failed to break through the thin white line;
Winter has come, how far is spring?”
Urumqi local government had abruptly announced that the COVID cases in the city “cleared to zero”, just day after the protest outbreak.
Netizen 空空日记 wrote sarcastically: “Urumqi locked down for 100days was “cleared zero” when I woke up. Who wouldn’t applaud it? Can’t we be impressed by the speedy (efficiency)? This should be written down in history! ”
While Weibo user 拆台CT compiled previous daily COVID cases from 21 Nov to 25 Nov, showing that the cases range from 100 cases to 300 cases for the past five days before the “zero COVID” in Urumqi.
“Previously, even low-risk areas will be locked down; but when things go wrong then (announced that) “COVID Zero” on the community aspect.”
China People Confrontation With The Authorities, Questioning The Lockdown
A commentary written by Li Xiaoqiang on Baidu, confirmed that many middle class citizens from all around the country walked out of their apartment buildings, confronting government officers with their legal knowledge regarding the legitimacy of the lockdown policy.
“The real question is: Given the obedience and loyalty of the public, why they did not get protection even though they have been cooperative with the lockdown for an extended long time? ”
The commentary mentioned that the China public no longer blindly follows authorities’ orders, “they want to record down who is (in-charge), based on what document, what measures implemented and whether the (officers) portfolio and the measures are legitimate.”
The article added that people just want to liberate themselves from the arbitrary COVID policy. China citizens want to defend their livelihood and the value of society.
“In the past three years since the pandemic, people have been grovelling in the ups and downs of life, until a fire reminded the people of what they should not forget.”
