The Chinese Communist Party regime does not like – or, more accurately, does not tolerate – popular protests. So, it’s a rare occasion indeed when citizens take to the streets demanding the resignation of their president, Xi Jinping. But after another restrictive “no tolerance” zero-COVID policy was unleashed on the populace, Chinese protesters hit the streets in earnest, and things have now reached a dramatic pitch, with government police cracking down in fear or perhaps simply in retaliation.
The demonstrations began a few days ago in eight of the country’s most populous cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. Police immediately started dispersing agitators with pepper spray and other non-lethal methods. Protesters left for a few hours, then they regrouped, reached out on social media platforms, and resurfaced bigger and louder. It is the most demonstrative attack on the ruling party in decades. The chant “Communist party! Step down! Xi Jinping! Step down!” was courageous. Another rallying cry: “(We) do not want PCR (tests) but want freedom.”
Chinese Protesters Send a Coded Message
The Chinese people have been bubbling over with rage since the government placed extreme measures on citizens to keep COVID and all its many variants tamped down. The most vocal and visible civil unrest since Xi ascended to power was started when a video of an apartment building fire in Urumqi that killed at least ten people was posted along with the accusation that the extreme lockdowns were primarily responsible for the death toll. But with a strategy that denies access to neighborhoods for weeks, extensive contact tracing, and daily COVID testing on millions of people, it appears Chinese folks are saying enough is enough. News stories of residents who cannot leave and get food or medical supplies for non-COVID related problems have trickled out and the public has finally erupted.
People willing to risk arrest in this communist nation must do so with a solid strategy. This time, the symbol of defiance is holding up blank white paper cards. Not only is white the color of mourning, but the lack of message speaks volumes; such is the level of censorship and confinement the Chinese protesters could face for whatever message they chose to display on those cards. The coded language is also being used by Russian citizens opposed to the war in Ukraine. The microblogging website Weibo, with over 582 million monthly active users, has now had to censor white paper hashtags, memes, and selfies from supporters.
As Dictators Go
(Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Xi is not caving to the demands of the Chinese protesters, and the Communist party People’s Daily published an editorial basically telling folks to suck it up: “No shifting. No disintegration. Implement measures for a highly efficient pandemic control and economic development.”
The human rights organization Amnesty International has also asked that Chinese people be allowed to peacefully express their views: “The tragedy of the Urumqi fire has inspired remarkable bravery across China,” the group’s regional director, Hanna Young, said in a statement. “These unprecedented protests show that people are at the end of their tolerance for excessive COVID-19 restrictions.”
On his way out of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci described China’s approach to the virus as “very severe and rather draconian.” Xi has not made any public statements about the protests.
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