Protester arrested after humiliating Xi Jinping in epic stunt ahead of Communist Party Congress

There are growing fears for a Chinese activist who disappeared after staging an epic protest calling for “dictator” Xi Jinping to be removed.

Peng Lifa disappeared after protesting against Xi Jinping. Picture: Twitter/@changchengwai

There are growing concerns a protester, who publicly shamed Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier this month, is now facing “secret torture” or even execution after abruptly vanishing.

Just days before the beginning of the Communist Party’s congress – which is expected to grant the President a historic third term – activist Peng Lifa stunned Beijing residents when he pulled off an epic stunt designed to humiliate the ruler and draw global attention to issues within China.

Taking to the prominent Sitong Bridge disguised as a construction worker in a hard hat and overalls, Peng lit a fire to attract maximum attention, hung up two banners and played a prerecorded protest chant through a loudspeaker.

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Peng Lifa disappeared after protesting against Xi Jinping. Picture: Twitter/@changchengwai

There are growing concerns for the protester after his arrest. Picture: Twitter/@jenniferzeng97

The banners displayed a daring message in bold red letters – branding Xi a dictator and criticising a string of Xi’s policies which Peng claimed left citizens “enslaved people”.

“Students strike, workers strike, remove the dictator and state thief Xi Jinping,” one banner declared, while another said: “We want to eat, not do coronavirus tests; reform, not the Cultural Revolution. We want freedom, not lockdowns; elections, not rulers. We want dignity, not lies. Be citizens, not enslaved people.”

Peng – reported to be a physicist and father aged in his late 40s – was almost immediately arrested, with authorities swiftly removing the banners.

But the act was seen by countless Beijing residents who filmed and photographed the protest before sharing it online, although many were soon wiped from the internet by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censors.

Hundreds of thousands of WeChat users who used even vague references to the stunt also had their accounts shut down, but vision of the incident has still made its way into the wider world, with countless posts circulating on Twitter.

Peng hasn’t been seen since, with a Change.org petition launched to pressure China to free the so-called “banner hero”.

“He was just exercising the right to freedom of speech. However, he was immediately arrested. Despite the incident has [sic] been covered internationally, CCP harshly censored any comments possibly mentioning this incident. Even posting Sitong Bridge, where this incident happened, might cause one’s social media account to be permanently banned,” the petition founder wrote.

Police have been positioned on bridges to prevent a similar stunt. Picture: Twitter/@jinpeili

Backlash against President Xi Jinping is spreading. Picture: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

“CCP has a long and infamous history of persecuting and torturing prisoners of conscience. It is needless to say that Peng Lifa will be no exception, especially at this particular time when Xi Jinping, the dictator of the CCP and Chinese government, is campaigning for another five-year term.

“I, therefore, ask you to speak for Peng as he stood up and spoke for millions of ordinary Chinese people. If you live inside China, please let people know what happened at Sitong Bridge (but only when it is safe to do so). If you live outside China, please write to your congresspeople/senators about Peng’s heroic action.

“Please ask your government [to] put pressure on CCP so that Peng could be saved from the very likely secret torture and, in the worst case, execution.”

Some have even called for the activist to feature on the cover of Time magazine. Picture: Twitter

The petition concluded by urging people to try to “save one single person who fearlessly spoke for his fellow people”.

“Please speak for Peng Lifa and demand the CCP to give him the freedom he deserves,” it said.

The words of Peng Lifa, first suspended from Sitong Bridge in a solo protest are starting to find traction in unexpected nooks and crannies across China. https://t.co/RwcQ0lQ77Dpic.twitter.com/n7Xk9DfDS3

— Phil Cunningham (@jinpeili) October 16, 2022

In the wake of the protest, which has made international headlines, police have been positioned on bridges and other prominent locations to prevent a copycat stunt.

Solo protest at Penn State University: Displaying a replica of brave Beijing citizen Peng Lifa’s protest banners, with English translations and a short description to let the American audience understand.#EndXictatorship#FreeChina@[e-mail]/RNnhfWe69m

— Penn State Students For Hong Kong (@psu_students4hk) October 16, 2022

Words memorialized on the now-confiscated Sitong Bridge banner put up by the now-imprisoned solo protester Peng Lifa have already crossed the ocean from China to Japan.

Here, a trilingual sign at Osaka's Kansai University:@TGTM_Official@hany@[e-mail]/DBa6JPswBn

— Phil Cunningham (@jinpeili) October 16, 2022

However, it has not been enough to stop Peng’s words from being spray-painted and shared by sympathisers in random locations across China.

They are also popping up at universities across the globe, including in Japan and the US, with pictures of Peng also being shared online in a bid to honour his courageous act.

There is even a growing push to feature the activist on the cover of Time magazine in the US.