Anti-lockdown protests sweep across China as 'Zero COVID' restrictions take their toll

Protests were staged in Shanghai, Wuhan, Hangzhou, the nation’s capital of Beijing, and even as far as Hong Kong, where protesters held up blank papers to protest the communist country’s censorship of criticism over the lockdowns.

Anti-lockdown protests sweep across China as 'Zero Covid' restrictions take their toll
AP Photo/Andy Wong
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Widespread protests erupted all across China over the weekend and over the country’s “Zero COVID” policy, which led to the deaths of ten people last week in a high-rise building in Urumqi.

Protests were staged in Shanghai, Wuhan, Hangzhou, the nation’s capital of Beijing, and even as far as Hong Kong, where protesters held up blank papers to protest the communist country’s censorship of criticism over the lockdowns.

The lockdowns have been in place for around three months as the pandemic extends into its third year.

The residents died in a blaze as they were unable to exit the building on account of their apartments being barred shut by state authorities for COVID mitigation. The lockdowns were brought on by an increase in COVID infections, which numbered around a mere 38,000 cases.

China’s oppressive lockdown measures initially spurred protests at factories, including a Foxconn plant that manufactures iPhones for Apple in Zhengzhou.

Chinese citizens face increasing restrictions due to the “Zero COVID” policy, which includes the erection of barriers around businesses, roadblocks, shutting down public spaces, sealing homes shut with metal chains, and making people homeless if they’re flagged as COVID risks.

In addition to restrictions, numerous citizens have been subjected to forced vaccinations, masking, and mandatory testing in order to travel in and out of restricted zones. Citizens who test positive for COVID have been relocated by force to quarantine camps, more of which are being constructed.

One such quarantine facility in Guangzhou houses 80,000 people, with plans to accommodate a further 250,000 people.

According to the New York Times, family members report being separated by the restrictions, including children removed from the custody of their parents.

Over the weekend, numerous citizens took to the streets to protest the measures, which remain ongoing and without an end date — including in the cities of Shanghai and the nation’s capital of Beijing, which rarely see protests of the size and magnitude since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

Human Events host Jack Posobiec curated much of the protests on his Twitter timeline — a platform that has been notably free from censorship since Elon Musk took over the platform.

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