In a strong show of force, Chinese authorities are trying to end growing protests against strict coronavirus policy. For example, China is deploying large-scale agents to stymie protesters with fences and intimidation.
From Beijing to Hong Kong and from Shanghai to Chengdu, people have taken to the streets in recent days. They hope to end lockdowns and other strict corona rules. But the Chinese government is certainly not in the mood to humor him.
So there are in Shanghai blue fences place to prevent new demonstrations. Hundreds of protesters gathered there earlier to demonstrate with blank A4 pages. He dubbed the protest the “White Paper Revolution”. With blank papers, the protesters underline the lack of freedom of expression.
But after the weekend, even taking to the streets no longer seems risk-free. This is how the police stop people from checking their phones. According to this reporter officers check if there are smartphone apps such as Telegram, Instagram or Twitter with which messages about the protests can be shared with the outside world.
There is absolutely no question of privacy during checks. For example, a BBC reporter on Monday filmed how two police officers forced a woman photos of the protests from his smartphone. And on Tuesday, AFP news agency shared images of a similar police action.
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Protesters want President Xi to step down
It shows that China is concerned about the growing protests. Those demonstrations erupted after an apartment fire in Ürümqi, a city in Xinjiang province that killed ten people last week. The drama was according to the protesters a direct consequence of the severe lockdown in the city.
The commemorations of the victims then became the large-scale protests we see today. “Down with the Communist Party and down with President Xi Jinping” was chanted in multiple cities. Such open and widespread protests are rare for China.
Protesters are called to their homes by the police
It remains to be seen whether the protests will be able to withstand strong resistance from the Chinese authorities. For example, there are several reports of protesters being arrested, although there are no official figures. That the police keep an eye on everything is evident from the phone calls protesters receive after the protests.
So writes the British newspaper The Guardian of a Beijing woman who, like her five friends, received a call from the police on Monday evening. She wanted to know everything about the protest. “The officer asked very specifically how many people were there, what time I went, how I heard about it,” she told the paper anonymously concerned for her safety.
He says he is “doing his best to keep protesting”. Meanwhile, China is also using censorship as a weapon. Messages critical of corona policy are deleted en masse. And with special accounts placed in China widespread spam on Twitter to keep people from finding information about the protests, in hopes that those demonstrations will slowly subside.
