By Lia Timson and Eryk Bagshaw
A wave of rare protests is growing in China, defying the strict curbs on freedom of speech and movement imposed by the Chinese Communist Party.
What began as opposition to endless measures to stop the spread of coronavirus and adhere to President Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID strategy has morphed into the riskiest and loudest anti-government demonstrations seen in the country since the student uprising that ended with the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
It is worth remembering that a lockdown in China is no ordinary request to go home, stay there and only go out for shopping. Most often, people are locked in on the spot wherever they are, be it at home, work or in an Ikea store. Food must be brought in where available and people must subject themselves to multiple PCR tests.
Here’s a look at how the protests evolved.
April: Pots and pans
In one of the first signs of dissent, millions of Shanghai residents banged pots and shouted from the windows of their high-rise apartments in April to protest against a citywide enforced lockdown that caused people to run out of food.
In May, hundreds of workers clashed with security personnel at Quanta Computer factory also in Shanghai after they were barred from contact with the outside world for months.
Some protests also began to emerge in locked-down areas of Guangdong, the southern manufacturing hub.
October: Bridge of defiance
On October 13, before the start of the CCP’s National Party congress in Beijing, the forum for Xi’s reappointment for a third term, protester Peng Lifa strung a banner across the Sitong Bridge calling for Xi to be removed from power.
“Students strike, workers strike, remove the dictator and state thief Xi Jinping,” said one of the banners. The other read: “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.”
November 15: Marching on the street
On November 15, residents of Guangzhou took to the street pockets to protest a lengthy lockdown and shortages of food. Some protesters tore down fences and barricades erected to keep them in their housing compounds and were met by the riot squad (in full PPE).
November 22: Factory worker discontent
On November 22, upset workers at a Foxconn iPhone factory in Zhengzhou began protesting after almost a month under tough restrictions to quash a COVID outbreak. By the morning, a full-on brawl between workers and guards was on display on social media, despite censors doing their best. Workers had been isolated, forced to live on spartan meals and scrounge for medication when they got sick. The company said they were protesting wages.
November 25: Urumqi fire helps spread protests
A fire that broke out in an apartment building in the north-west city of Urumqi, where some people have been locked down for four months, killed 10 residents and injured nine. That prompted street protests and an outpouring of angry questions online about whether firefighters or those trying to escape were blocked by locked doors or other restrictions.
About 300 demonstrators then gathered in Shanghai. On a street named for Urumqi, one group of protesters brought candles, flowers and signs honouring those who died in the blaze. Another group shouted slogans and sang the national anthem. “We want freedom,” protesters chanted.
“Xi Jinping!” a man in the crowd repeatedly shouted.
“Step down!” some chanted in response.
November 27: BBC journalist and protesters assaulted
On Sunday, crowds returned to the same spot in Shanghai and again rallied against PCR tests. Demonstrators stood and filmed as police shoved people.
The BBC said its journalist Ed Lawrence was arrested, handcuffed and beaten while covering the protests. He was later released. Chinese authorities disputed the account, but video of the incident had already spread. On Wednesday, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said he had summoned the Chinese envoy over the incident. In response, ambassador Zheng Zeguang issued a statement, saying that normal law-enforcement procedures had been followed and reports saying Lawrence was arrested and beaten were false.
About 2000 students at Xi’s alma mater, Tsinghua University in Beijing, gathered to demand an easing of anti-virus controls, according to social media posts. Students shouted “freedom of speech!” and sang the Internationale, a socialist anthem.
November 28: Protests spread to Hong Kong and abroad
In Hong Kong, dozens of protesters gathered in the central business district, the scene of sometimes violent anti-government demonstrations in 2019. University students joined the protests holding blank sheets of paper – a nod to China’s censorship laws – while some chanted “oppose dictatorship”, laid flowers and lit candles.
Around the world, expatriate dissidents and students staged small-scale vigils and demonstrations in London, Paris, Tokyo, Washington, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Melbourne and other cities.
By then the White House had weighed in saying the US believed it would be difficult for China to “control this virus through their zero-COVID strategy,” adding, that “everyone has the right to peacefully protest, here in the United States and around the world. This includes in the PRC”.
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urged Chinese “authorities to respond to protests in line with international human rights laws and standards.”
November 29: Authorities warn of crackdown
Late on Tuesday night, China’s Central Committee provided the first official government response to four days of unrest across the country.
It warned it would crack down on protesters for disrupting the social order, signalling it was prepared to use greater force to stop the open dissent over its COVID policy.
Earlier, pockets of protests erupted in Nanchang, Shenzhen and Jinan, while in Beijing, dozens of police cars lined the streets to prevent gatherings, and in Shanghai police boarded trains to inspect commuters’ phones and force the deletion of banned apps used for organising protests, such as Telegram and Twitter.
November 30: Show of force
Not 24 hours after the warning about crackdowns, a massive show of force by security services sought to deter further protests in Beijing.
Hundreds of SUVs, vans and armoured vehicles with flashing lights were parked on city streets while police and paramilitary forces conducted random ID checks and searched people’s mobile phones for photos, banned apps or other potential evidence that they had taken part in the demonstrations, AP reported.
December 1: A hint of softness?
Officials in China began to give out mixed signals on its handling of the zero-COVID. Although daily case numbers stayed near record highs on December 1, some cities started easing some restrictions and allowing some businesses to reopen, Reuters reported, adding that health authorities did not mention the protests in their announcements.
In at least seven districts of Guangzhou, authorities said they were lifting lockdowns. One district said it would allow in-person school lessons to resume and would reopen restaurants and cinemas.
- with agencies
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