Chinese government is so brutal against the protests because of the spread of fake news on Twitter: the EU blames Elon Musk

Widespread protests are rare in China, very rare indeed. Because the Communist Party has a tight grip on all areas of Chinese life because it built a high-tech surveillance state – and the government cracks down on dissenters.

But in recent days, the situation in China has escalated and the biggest wave of civil disobedience in mainland China since the 1989 Tiananmen protests swept through China.

And just like in 1989, the authorities will not shy away from using violence against the demonstrators in 2022:

This is how people protest in China

So far, protests have been confirmed in 17 Chinese cities – including the capital Beijing and the economic metropolis of Shanghai.

People called on Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, to resign. Or they sang the so-called Internationale, a socialist anthem sung at demonstrations around the world.

A background to the protests is the strict Covid measures in the country. Isolated protests broke out in October as anti-zero Covid slogans were scrawled on the walls of public toilets in several Chinese cities.

The actions were inspired by a banner hanging on a Beijing flyover questioning Covid measures – just days before Xi began his third term in office.

The protests have now taken on a new dimension, with hundreds of people gathering in Shanghai alone on Saturday, according to CNN. Many held a vigil for the victims of a fire that died in Urumqi last Thursday. Because the rescuers were held back due to the Covid measures – there were deaths and injuries.

After the fire, residents of Urumqi in Xinjiang marched to the government building and chanted for the end of the lockdown.

Protests quickly spread outside Xinjiang. Many demonstrators hold up white sheets of paper – a symbolic protest against censorship. They shout:

Others break down barricades or attack crowds of police officers who are out and about in white protective suits.

Maria Repnikova of American Georgia State University told CNN:

The Chinese are not only demanding an end to the Covid measures, but also political freedoms.

China’s Covid Policy

On Monday, 40,052 new cases of Covid were recorded in China. That is more than the previous peak in April. The cities of Guangzhou in the south and Chongqing in the southwest of the country are considered the hardest hit. The fact that the infections suddenly skyrocketed is probably also because China relaxed the strict zero-Covid measures three weeks ago. However, the total number of infections and deaths in China is still small compared to other countries.

The photos and videos documenting the Chinese measures went around the world: stalking robot dogs barking corona measures into the empty streets, or desperate people screaming out their windows into the dark night.

Despite the easing of these sometimes absurdly presumptuous precautions, local authorities continue to impose lockdowns wherever there are outbreaks. For example, last week in the metropolis of Guangzhou, where people were now only allowed to leave their homes if they had a negative corona test.

In addition, mass testing will be conducted where cases have been reported; that people with Covid be isolated at home or quarantined in government facilities; that non-food stores and schools in affected areas be closed. These measures apply until no more new infections are reported. Some local authorities have also taken their own measures and are allowing workers to sleep in factories.

And so millions of people in China continue to live isolated from their environment.

Despite the slight easing of China’s covid measures, the Chinese economy has been seriously weakened – which also has consequences for world trade, Bloomberg writes.

This is how the Chinese government is responding

In response to the protests, the country’s political leadership has announced strong action against the unrest. At a meeting on Tuesday, the Communist Party’s Politics and Law Commission also blamed “hostile” elements for disrupting public order, state media reported Wednesday. The Xinhua news agency was quoted as saying in a statement:

During the protests, there have been repeated clashes between demonstrators and police in recent days. For example, arrests were made in Shanghai over the weekend. Undeterred, however, protesters turned back on Sunday, where they met with a more aggressive response. Videos on social media show chaotic scenes of police shoving and beating protesters.

Police were later seen escorting a number of handcuffed people to an undisclosed location, Reuters reports.

Another video shows escalations between a crowd and police officers parading in protective Covid gear under a tank shield. According to Reuters, the images come from the Haizhu district of Guangzhou. And may have been recorded on Tuesday evening.

The videos have since been removed from the Chinese internet by censorship, writes CNN.

The brief arrest of foreign reporters covering the protests in China caused an uproar.

On Tuesday, senior health officials defended the state’s actions. But they vowed to ease public discomfort by lifting lockdowns “as soon as possible” after outbreaks, because the uncertainties “could cause fear and life problems”.

However, this should no longer be enough to appease the protesters.

(yam, with sda material)