Protests rock China
Over the weekend, protesters in Shanghai called for Xi Jingping’s resignation, while students at Beijing’s Tsinghua University sang the national anthem in protest against COVID-19 lockdowns and regulations.
China’s ruling Communist Party said on Tuesday it would “resolutely suppress the infiltration and sabotage activities of hostile forces” amid large protests by citizens frustrated with the country’s strict coronavirus restrictions.
The statement comes during a show of force by the security services to discourage further protests that broke out over the weekend in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and several other cities.
The statement by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission did not directly address the protests, but it does reveal the CCP’s commitment to enforcing its mandate.
“We must resolutely suppress the infiltration and sabotage activities of hostile forces in accordance with the law, resolutely suppress illegal and criminal acts that disturb social order, and effectively maintain overall social stability,” the statement said.
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A police vehicle patrols along the riverbank near the site of last weekend’s protest in Beijing.
SUVs, vans and armored vehicles with flashing lights were parked along the city’s streets Wednesday as police and paramilitary forces carried out random ID checks and searched residents’ phones for photos, banned apps or other possible evidence of participation in the demonstrations.
Xi recently gave himself a third five-year term as secretary-general, which could make him China’s leader for life. Still, he and the party have not directly addressed the demonstrations that have spread to university campuses and the southern semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.
Most of the protesters criticized China’s “zero COVID” policy that has led to a lockdown and quarantine, limiting their access to food and medicine while hurting the economy and restricting travel.
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A protester holds a paper reading “Not foreign forces, but internal forces” and “The abuse of government power plunges people into misery and suffering” during a rally at the University of Hong Kong.
But some even called for greater freedom and democracy and for Xi and the party he leads to step down. Speech of this nature is considered subversive in China and is punishable by long prison terms.
Protests over the weekend were sparked by anger after at least 10 people died in a fire on November 24 in China’s far west, prompting the public to question whether firefighters or victims trying to escape they were on lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Some restrictions were eased and officials announced a new push to vaccinate vulnerable groups after the demonstrations, but maintained the “zero-COVID” strategy would still be followed.
People watch from above a protest rally at the University of Hong Kong.
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The party had promised last month to ease controls, but a spike in infections prompted party members to tighten restrictions. On Wednesday, the National Health Commission reported 37,612 cases detected during the previous 24 hours, with the death toll remaining unchanged at 5,233.
Police appeared to be trying to cover up their crackdown, with videos and posts on Chinese social media about the protests being taken down by the party’s online censorship apparatus.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
