SHANGHAI – Shanghai authorities put up barriers on Monday around a city centre area where hundreds of people protested over the weekend against heavy Covid-19 measures, one of several demonstrations that have flared across the country.
From the streets of Shanghai and Beijing to university campuses, protesters made a show of civil disobedience unprecedented since leader Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago to oversee the quashing of dissent and establishment of an extensive high-tech social surveillance system.
On Monday, the Shanghai streets where protesters gathered were blocked off with blue metal barriers, in what looked like a bid to prevent crowds gathering. Police in high-visibility vests patrolled in pairs, while police cars and motorbikes cruised by.
Shops and cafes in the area were asked to close, a staff member at one told Reuters.
Sunday saw people take to the streets in several major cities across China to call for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms, in a wave of nationwide protests not seen since pro-democracy rallies in 1989 were crushed.
“We hope to end the lockdown,” said 28-year-old Shi at a candlelight vigil in Beijing late on Sunday. “We want to live a normal life. We should all bravely express our feelings.”
Beijing on Monday blamed “forces with ulterior motives” for linking a deadly fire in the western Xinjiang region to strict Covid-19 measures.
Online posts circulating on both Chinese and overseas social media platforms have claimed that lengthy Covid-19 lockdowns in Urumqi hampered rescue attempts after the blaze on Thursday night.
In response to a question at a regular press briefing about the disaster, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said: “On social media there are forces with ulterior motives that relate this fire with the local response to Covid-19.”
A deadly fire last week in Urumqi, the capital of north-west China’s Xinjiang region, has become a catalyst for public anger, with many blaming Covid-19 lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts.
But they have also featured prominent calls for greater political freedoms – with some even demanding the resignation of China’s President Xi, recently re-appointed to an unprecedented third term as China’s leader.
Large crowds gathered on Sunday in the capital Beijing and Shanghai, where police clashed with protesters as they tried to stop groups from converging at Wulumuqi street, named after the Mandarin for Urumqi.
Crowds that gathered overnight – some of whom chanted “Xi Jinping, step down! CCP, step down!” – were dispersed by Sunday morning.
But in the afternoon, hundreds rallied in the same area with blank sheets of paper and flowers to hold what appeared to be a silent protest, an eyewitness told AFP.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9lYXN0LWFzaWEvY2hpbmEtY2Vuc29ycy1yYXJlLW5hdGlvbndpZGUtcHJvdGVzdHMtb3Zlci1oYXJkY29yZS1jb3ZpZC0xOS1yZXN0cmljdGlvbnPSAQA?oc=5
2022-11-28 08:40:00Z
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