China: Demonstrators call for Xi’s resignation

In China, protests against the government’s strict corona measures are spreading. On Saturday evening, people also took to the streets in the financial metropolis of Shanghai to vent their displeasure. The demonstrations initially began as a vigil for the victims of the high-rise fire in Xinjiang. But as the night progressed, the gathering turned into protests. The crowd held up white sheets of paper as a sign against censorship. As seen on videos, one group shouted, “Down with the Chinese Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping.” Public protests against the government and President Xi are very rare in China.

The country is pursuing a zero-Covid policy, which entails far-reaching lockdown measures and is increasingly met with dissatisfaction among the population. The government is taking action against corona outbreaks with lockdowns, mass tests, exit restrictions and travel bans. The increase in the number of infections currently makes it unlikely that China will relax its strict policy anytime soon. With almost 40,000 cases, the country has reported a daily record of new infections for the fourth day in a row since the beginning of the pandemic.

The lockdowns and the global economic downturn are also currently slowing down the second largest economy in the world. Many people are no longer willing to bow to the strict measures. Worker protests have been going on for months. And the situation is likely to get worse.

There had already been unrest in the Zhengzhou plant a few weeks ago. Thousands of employees had fled for fear of infection or quarantine, and factory operators Foxconn later promised employees higher wages to persuade them to return. These should not have been paid. In Urumqi, capital of western China’s Xinjiang region, there were protests on Friday. One of the longest lockdowns was imposed there: Many of the four million inhabitants are not allowed to leave their homes for up to 100 days.

The protests were triggered by a fire that killed ten people

Before the protests in Shanghai, the view had spread on social networks that residents had not been able to flee in time from a high-rise building fire in Urumqi because the building had been partially closed due to the zero-Covid policy. City officials deny that.

Ten people died in the fire on Thursday. Vigils were also held in other cities, including the universities of Nanjing and Beijing. Videos in Shanghai also showed people shouting “serve the people” or “we want freedom”. In the spring, the city with its 25 million inhabitants was strictly sealed off for two months. At that time there had already been rare protests.

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