Protests arose across China on Saturday in opposition to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership amidst the ongoing regime-imposed Covid-19 lockdowns.
The most recent wave of unrest was triggered after an apartment fire in Urumqi, the capital of the far western region of Xinjiang, killed ten people and injured nine people late last week. The incident triggered public outrage, as it was believed that the mobility restrictions in the area either trapped the residents or slowed the dispatch of emergency services.
Officials in Urumqi seemed to take partial responsibility for the tragedy on Friday and promised to “restore order” by slowly rolling back Covid-19 rules, CNN reported.
At multiple universities in Shanghai, Beijing, and Nanjing, crowds of students congregated to remember the victims and denounce China’s zero-Covid-19 policy, which seeks to snuff out spread of the virus entirely through strict control measures.
At a mass demonstration in Shanghai, disgruntled citizens chanted against President Xi Jinping’s rule, according to CNN. “Xi Jinping, step down” and “Communist party, step down” were heard. Some protesters held up blank sheets of paper, symbols for resistance against the Chinese government.
“We don't need to write anything on it. It is a symbol of the revolution of the people,” someone said at the Shanghai protest, according to Eva Rammeloo, the China correspondent for Dutch newspaper Trouw.
“We want freedom!” protesters reportedly yelled, according to the video footage. Some sang a resistance song, the Internationale, and Chinese national anthem, emphasizing the lyrics “qi lai!,” which translates to “Stand Up!,” Rammeloo said. Vigils were held in commemoration of the dead from Urumqi. Police arrived to quell the anger, arresting some people.
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