People, Police And Porn Mark China's Anti-Lockdown Protest. Here's What Triggered It

Protestors are also demanding Chinese President Xi Jinping's resignation or for the ruling party to cede power.

Nationwide protest in China against zero-covid policy

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Amid a record number of cases in China, thousands of people from major cities and universities have started protesting against the authorities demanding freedom from zero-Covid policy, incessant Covid tests and lockdowns, strict censorship, and the Communist Party’s tightening grip over all aspects of life.

Protestors are also demanding Chinese President Xi Jinping's resignation or for the ruling party to cede power. Residents in these cities are holding blank sheets of paper and flowers to hold silent protests against the government. 

Chants of "Down with the Chinese Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping", were heard in the early hours of Sunday, Reuters reported.

According to reports, in an apparent bid to stop the spread of news about the massive protests against Covid-19 lockdowns in the country, Chinese bots were inundating Twitter with sexually explicit posts for hours on Sunday.

When users used Chinese script to search for a large city in the country, such as Shanghai or Beijing, Chinese bot accounts, which are not operated by humans, are being utilised to overwhelm the social networking service with adverts for sex workers, pornography, and gambling.

What triggered the protest?

The widespread civil unrest started after a deadly fire at a high-rise building in Xinjiang's capital city Urumqi. The Urumqi fire fatalities sparked a flood of angry questions on social media over whether the three hours it took to put out the fire or the victims' attempts to flee may have been impeded by locked doors or other measures. Authorities denied the claim, but the catastrophe became a focal point for public anger over censorship, propaganda, and anti-disease regulations.

News agency Reuters reported that many of Urumqi's four million residents have been under some of the country's longest lockdowns, barred from leaving their homes for as long as 100 days.

Protests across the country

On Sunday night, at least 400 people gathered on the banks of a river in the capital Beijing for several hours, with some shouting: "We are all Xinjiang people! Go Chinese people!"

The locals in Beijing continued to protest early into Monday morning in a rare outpouring of public anger against the state. The Police were also seen pulling people aside and ordering them to delete photos on their phones.

Several videos posted on social media, taken in Nanjing in the east, Guangzhou in the south and at least five other cities, showed protesters tussling with police in white protective suits or dismantling barricades used to seal off neighborhoods. But the posts were deleted immediately on China's social media, as China's Communist Party commonly does to suppress criticism, the Associated Press reported.

On Monday, around 200 to 300 students rallied at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University to protest against lockdowns, one witness who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.

A video that appeared to be taken in the same location showed students shouting, "Democracy and the rule of law, freedom of expression", and was quickly taken down.

On Sunday, a large crowd gathered in Chengdu with blank sheets of paper and chanted, "We don't want emperors," a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

What is the Zero-Covid policy?

“Zero COVID,” which aims to isolate every infected person, has helped to keep China’s case numbers lower than those of the United States and other major countries.

Dynamic zero is two-pronged - prevention and containment. Prevention focuses on early detection through regular PCR tests, especially in cities. Potential or suspected cases are isolated at home or placed under quarantine at a government-supervised facility. Those deemed in close contact with infected people must quarantine, and even distant or potential contact can result in an order to stay home.

Control tactics are aimed at swiftly cutting off transmission chains to prevent outbreaks. These tactics involve quarantining cases at government-supervised facilities and locking down buildings, communities, or even entire cities. China’s policies are not geared towards having zero cases at all times but instead, are about "dynamically" taking action when cases surface.

But people in some areas have been confined at home for up to four months and say they lack enough food supplies.

Covid cases in China

China reported a slight decline in new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday as it reported 38,645 cases, of which 3,624 were symptomatic and 35,021 asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. 

Earlier on Monday, China posted a record daily high of 40,347 cases – 3,822 symptomatic and 36,525 asymptomatic infections.