The recent protests in China were reportedly the largest since those in Tienanmen Square in 1989. Government has responded with some changes in their enforcement of covid zero.
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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_COVID-19_protests_in_China:
2022 COVID-19 protests in China
A series of protests against COVID-19 lockdowns began in mainland China in November 2022.[4][2][5][6][7] The protests began in response to measures taken by the Chinese government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, including implementing a zero-COVID policy. Discontent towards the policy has grown since the beginning of the pandemic, which confined many people to their homes without work and left some unable to purchase or receive daily necessities.[8][9]
While small-scale protests began in early November, widespread civil unrest erupted following a deadly fire in Ürümqi that killed ten people, three months into a lockdown in Xinjiang.[10] Protesters demanded the end of the government's zero-COVID policy and lockdowns, and some extended their protest towards the leadership of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.[5][11]
Escalation: Ürümqi fire and reaction
On 24 November, a fire in a building in Ürümqi killed 10 people and wounded 9 in a residential area under lockdown.[29][5] The Xinjiang region had already been in strict lockdown for three months at that point. During this time, videos and images circulated on Chinese social media showed people unable to purchase basic necessities such as food and medicine.[8] People accused the lockdown measures around the building on fire for preventing firefighters from being able to reach the building in time, while others expressed anger at the government's response, which seemed to victim blame those who managed to escape the fire.[5] Many of the dead were Uyghur people, with 5 living in the same household.[30]
On 25 November, a protest started in the Han-dominant Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps 104th Regiment as residents took to the streets in direct response to a public beating committed by disease control personnel.[31] A wave of protests soon started across the city, demanding an end to the harsh lockdown measures,[6][7][32] with a crowd outside the city government building. The secretary-general was forced to make a public speech, promising an end to lockdown in "low-risk" areas by the next day.[33]
26 November
By 26 November, protests and memorials in solidarity with the victims of the Ürümqi fire had spread to large Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Xi'an, and Shanghai.[5][6][7][35]
Nanjing
On 26 November, in Nanjing, satirical posters against the zero-COVID policy were removed, and in protest, a student stood on the steps of the Communication University of China, Nanjing, holding a blank sheet of paper, until it was snatched from her. Subsequently, hundreds of students gathered on the steps with blank sheets of paper[36][37] to hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire, using phone flashlights as stand-ins for candles[38] and held up blank pieces of paper in reference to the censorship surrounding the event.[39] A student participating in the rally, who stated he was from Xinjiang, spoke: "Before I felt I was a coward, but now at this moment I feel I can stand up. I speak for my home region, speak for those friends who lost relatives and kin in the fire disaster, and for the deceased".[37] An unidentified man arrived to rebuke the protesting crowd, saying that "one day you'll pay for everything you did today", with students replying that "the state will also have to pay the price for what it has done".[36]
Lanzhou
On 26 November, videos filmed protesters in Lanzhou destroying tents and booths for COVID-19 testing.[40][1] Protesters alleged that they were put under lockdown despite there being zero positive cases in the area.[41] Earlier in November, a case in Lanzhou had circulated on social media where a 3-year-old boy died before he could be taken to the hospital in time due to lockdown measures, sparking backlash and anger online.[7]
Shanghai
The largest protest on 26 November appeared in Shanghai, as young people gathered on Ürümqi Road (乌鲁木齐中路, officially "Wulumuqi Rd (M)"), in reference to the city where the fire took place.[37] They lit candles and laid flowers in mourning for the victims of the fire.[35] They also held pieces of blank paper over their faces or heads; white is the traditional colour of mourning in China.[37] Videos showed chants openly criticizing CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's administration,[37] with hundreds chanting "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!"[11][42][43] Videos circulating on social media also show the crowd facing police chanting slogans such as "serve the people", "we want freedom" and "we don't want the Health Code".[41] Some people sang the national anthem, "March of the Volunteers", during the protest.[44] In the early morning hours, police suddenly surrounded the crowd and arrested several people.[45] Police also used pepper spray to disperse the protesters and made arrests, and beat some protestors.[42]
Chengdu
In Chengdu, crowds gathered in the streets and chanted "We don't want lifelong rulers. We don't want emperors."[1][35]
Xi'an
A mobile-lit vigil was also held at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, which attracted hundreds of demonstrators, according to posts circulated on social media.[35][46]
Korla
A video emerged of hundreds gathered in the prefecture’s government office in Korla, calling "Lift the lockdown!". Like the protestors in Ürümqi, many of those protesting in Korla seemed to be of Han ethnicity. An official came out and was welcomed by the crowd; he promised that lockdowns would be eased. There was applause.[37]
27 November
Shanghai
In Shanghai, the Associated Press saw some bystanders charged and tackled by police near an intersection where there had previously been protests, although the bystanders were not visibly expressing dissent.[47] A protestor said police had tried to arrest him, but the crowd around him had pulled him free so he could escape.[1]
On 27 November, BBC News journalist Edward Lawrence was assaulted by Shanghai police and detained for several hours.[48][49] Footage circulated on social media showed Lawrence being dragged to the ground in handcuffs.[50] The responding authorities stated that they arrested him "for his own good" so that he would not catch COVID-19 from the crowd.[51] The BBC News press team rebuked those claims as not a credible explanation.[48]
A photograph appeared to show police removing the Ürümqi Road's street sign on Sunday evening.[39]
Beijing
At least 1,000 people gathered along Beijing's third ring road on 27 November to protest COVID restrictions.[52] The Beijing people chanted "We are all Shanghai people! We are all Xinjiang people!".[53] Potentially due to proximity to political power in the nation's capital city, demonstrators in Beijing debated the use of explicitly political slogans, such as calling for Xi to step down, versus more narrowly opposing severe COVID controls, as well as whether to call it a protest or a simply a vigil. Participants discussed demands that the movement could agree upon, such as an apology for the Ürümqi fire, while others worried about police infiltration of marches, since some demonstrators had already received calls from local police.[3]
On 27 November, students held a memorial at Tsinghua University in Beijing, contributing to student demonstrations taking place at over 50 university campuses throughout China.[41][34] They chanted "freedom will prevail" and sang "The Internationale".[54] One teacher went through the crowd to the students, trying to dissuade the crowd and said, "you're getting out of hand!". Videos posted online showed students holding up blank paper sheets and chanting "Democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression!".[37] A female student from Tsinghua University said over a loudspeaker: "If because we are afraid of being arrested, we don't speak, I believe our people would be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua student, I would regret this my whole life!"[55][35]
Later that evening, some Beijing protesters gathered on both banks of the Liangma River,[53] also singing "The Internationale" and "March of the Volunteers". One remarked "do not forget those who died in the Guizhou bus crash... do not forget freedom", referring to a September incident in which a bus taking locals to a COVID-19 quarantine center crashed, killing 27 people.[56] In a confrontation between protesters and their opponents in Beijing, protesters were told not to be manipulated by foreign influences, with one protester replying "by foreign influence do you mean Marx and Engels?" and "We can't even go on foreign websites!"[57][58][59] Others in Beijing chanted slogans echoing the banners of the October Beijing Sitong Bridge protest, such as "Remove the traitor-dictator Xi Jinping!"[60]
At around 01:00 local time on 28 November, an official came to talk to the riverside protesters. At around 02:00, police marched in, and the protesters were dispersed. Police presence continued through Monday evening.[53]
Wuhan
Hundreds of people protested in Wuhan on 27 November, with many destroying metal barricades that surrounded locked-down communities, overturning COVID testing tents and demanding an end to lockdowns, while some demanded Xi to resign.[61][62][1]
Hong Kong
Small-scale demonstrations took place in Hong Kong in solidarity with the protests in mainland China. On 27 November, at the University of Hong Kong, two students from the mainland distributed leaflets relating to the Ürümqi fire, prompting campus security to call in the police for assistance, but ultimately no arrests were made. Also on the university's campus the same day, a group of students held up blank pieces of paper.[63]
28 November
At the start of the school week, university students in Beijing and Guangzhou were sent home, with classes and final exams being moved online. Universities said they were protecting students from COVID-19, yet on the same day, China had also reported its first day-over-day decline in cases since 19 November.[65][66]
Shanghai
After two days of protests in Shanghai, police erected barricades in Ürümqi Road on 28 November.[67] Later that evening, police were out checking the phones of pedestrians in Shanghai,[65] in which they were specifically instructed to look for VPNs, Telegram, and Twitter.[68]
Protestors had planned to gather in the People's Square, but a large police presence prevented it. An attempt to change location was stymied when police also got there first.[69]
Hong Kong
Over two dozen people took part in a demonstration in central Hong Kong, also holding up blank placards.[70]
Hangzhou
On the evening of 28 November in Hangzhou, hundreds of citizens held a demonstration at the intersection of Hubin Yintai in77, demanding the authorities to release the detained protesters. Around the same time, a driver played the song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in the background while waiting for the traffic lights at the intersection near the in77 shopping district and was cheered on by passersby.[71]
Beijing
As universities began to shutter across Beijing, nine Tsinghua University dorms were closed, with positive COVID-19 cases as the reason given. Meanwhile, as the Beijing Forestry University closed, the administration noted that no students or faculty had tested positive.[72] Heavy police presence in the capital prevented demonstrators from gathering.[68]
29 November
As on the previous day, there were crowds of police at the sites of past protests. In Shanghai, the sidewalks of Ürümqi Road were barricaded along the full length with two-meter-tall solid blue barricades. The People's Square in central Shanghai, where a protest had been planned for the night, was also heavily patrolled, with police stopping people, checking mobile phones, and asking if they had installed virtual private networks; all but one exit of the subway station there was closed off. Surveillance techniques previously used in Xinjiang were implemented in several cities.[69] University administrations responded to the rallies held the previous days by telling students that they could leave early for winter break, offering free rail and air travel to take them home.[73]
On social networks outside of the Chinese government's control, protesters planned how to track the police, use multiple mobile phones, and form small clusters in order to continue protesting.[73]
In a press conference live-streamed to a state media account on Sina Weibo, Chinese health authorities pledged a rectification of anti-COVID-19 measures. Live audience comments included “We’ve cooperated with you for three years, now it’s time to give our freedom back" and "Can you stop filtering our comments? Listen to the people, the sky won’t fall".[74]
Video footage obtained by Reuters showed protesters struggling against police and barricades in the Lixia District, Jinan.[68]
Abroad
A vigil attended by around 80 to 100 people was held on 27 November at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, in solidarity with the protests in China. Speakers included Wang Dan and Zhou Fengsuo, activists who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.[75][76]
Protests and vigils have also taken place in other cities, including Tokyo, London, Brisbane, Paris, and Amsterdam.[77]
In the United States, the largest recipient of Chinese overseas students, vigils have taken place at a variety of universities, including Yale University, Stanford University, and Harvard University. On 29 November, vigils also took place outside Chinese diplomatic missions in the US, with approximately 400 people attending a vigil outside the Chinese consulate in New York and roughly 200 outside the Chinese consulate in Chicago.[78][79][80]
Censorship and resistance
The broadcasts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in China showed scenes of spectators in Qatar without COVID-19 restrictions, despite the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV cutting close-up shots of the maskless audience and replacing them with shots of the players, officials or venues.[81][82] On 22 November, a social media post, titled Ten Questions, went viral on WeChat, asking the rhetorical question of whether Qatar was "on a different planet" for having minimal COVID-19 control measures.[83] The post was shortly taken down, but not before archives could be made outside of the Chinese internet.[84]
Internet censors censored the images and videos circulating on social media, but then they began circulating on Twitter, which has been blocked by the Great Firewall in China.[39] Chinese citizens spread videos and information of the protests across Chinese social media as well, often skirting around censors in creative ways. Harmless words were repeated multiple times to form sentences to express displeasure, such as "good good good good good good good good". To avoid censorship, protesters used blank papers, graffiti, and even mathematical equations to express their discontent. At the demonstration at Tsinghua University in Beijing on 27 November, Friedmann equations, cosmological expressions that estimate the rate of expansion of the universe, were used to imply, according to some observers, the inevitability of the country "opening up" just like the cosmos, while others decoded the message as a play on the physicist's surname, which is a near homophone for "free man".[85][86] Later that evening, protesters near Liangma Bridge began to chant ironically, "I want to do COVID tests! I want to scan my health code!", stimulating Weibo users into using similar phrases to avoid censorship. Video clips of Xi Jinping's own speeches were also used in protest, with people quoting his statement "now the Chinese people are organized and aren't to be trifled with" to avoid censorship and express discontent.[87][88]
On Twitter, where authorities lacked the ability to censor protest imagery for those who had circumvented the Great Firewall, Chinese-language hashtags for cities with active demonstrations had become flooded with pornography, escort services, and gambling spam arising from both new and long-dormant accounts suspected to be Chinese government-run. The problem was exacerbated by the resignation of most of Twitter's trust and safety team following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform.[89][90][91]
White paper symbolism
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Blank A4 sized sheets of paper became a symbol of the protests, with protesters at Tsinghua University showing blank A4 sheets of paper to represent censorship in China.[92] Protesters have also carried white flowers, standing with paper or flowers at intersections.[64] One protester in Beijing said that she and her husband had been among the first to arrive at the riverside protest on 27 November, and hadn't been sure if any of the people in the area were protestors at first, but seeing she was carrying a blank sheet of paper, they came over and gathered with her.[53]
Chinese diaspora communities promoted the terms "white paper revolution" and "A4 revolution" on online social media to describe the protests.[93] By 28 November, posts containing blank papers, harmless sentences, and Friedmann equations had been removed from Chinese social media platforms.[87][88]
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