2022 COVID-19 protests in China: Difference between revisions

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The '''2022 COVID-19 protests''', also referred to as the '''White Paper Protests'''{{Efn|{{Lang-zh|s=白纸抗议|links=no}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=He |first=Laura |date=2022-11-29 |title='White paper' protests: China's top stationery supplier says it's still selling A4 sheets |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/economy/china-white-paper-protests-stock-run-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=[[CNN]] |language=en}}</ref> or the '''A4 Revolution''',{{Efn|{{Lang-zh|s=白纸革命}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Lauren |date=2022-11-30 |title=China's Dramatic Dissent |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/briefing/china-protests-covid.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> are a series of ongoing [[Protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic|protests against COVID-19 lockdowns]] began in [[mainland China]] in November 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |title=從中國南京傳媒學院開始,學生發起「白紙革命」,上海等中國7大城市大學生發起「白紙革命」 全球最大文具商全面下架A4白紙. |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/上海等中國7大城市大學生發起-白紙革命-習近平下台-共產黨下台-呼聲響徹雲霄-030628979.html |archive-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kwon |first=Jake |date=2022-11-23 |title=Workers at the world's largest iPhone factory in China clash with police, videos show |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |location=[[Beijing]] and [[Hong Kong]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/tech/china-covid-foxconn-zhengzhou-confrontation-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The protests began in response to [[Chinese government response to COVID-19|measures]] taken by the [[Government of China|Chinese government]] to prevent the spread of [[COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China|COVID-19 in the country]], including implementing a [[zero-COVID]] policy. Discontent towards the policy has grown since the beginning of the pandemic, which confined many people to their homes without work and left some unable to purchase or receive daily necessities.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Xinjiang residents complain of hunger after 40-day COVID lockdown |language=en |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/15/xinjiang-residents-complain-of-hunger-after-40-day-covid-lockdown |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jiang |first=Steven |date=2022-04-19 |title=Hunger and anger in Shanghai's unending lockdown nightmare |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/china/shanghai-covid-lockdown-nightmare-intl-dst-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>
The '''2022 COVID-19 protests''', also referred to as the '''White Paper Protests'''{{Efn|{{Lang-zh|s=白纸抗议|links=no}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=He |first=Laura |date=2022-11-29 |title='White paper' protests: China's top stationery supplier says it's still selling A4 sheets |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/economy/china-white-paper-protests-stock-run-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref> or the '''A4 Revolution''',{{Efn|{{Lang-zh|s=白纸革命}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Lauren |date=2022-11-30 |title=China's Dramatic Dissent |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/briefing/china-protests-covid.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> are a series of ongoing [[Protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic|protests against COVID-19 lockdowns]] began in [[mainland China]] in November 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |title=從中國南京傳媒學院開始,學生發起「白紙革命」,上海等中國7大城市大學生發起「白紙革命」 全球最大文具商全面下架A4白紙. |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/上海等中國7大城市大學生發起-白紙革命-習近平下台-共產黨下台-呼聲響徹雲霄-030628979.html |archive-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kwon |first=Jake |date=2022-11-23 |title=Workers at the world's largest iPhone factory in China clash with police, videos show |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |location=[[Beijing]] and [[Hong Kong]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/tech/china-covid-foxconn-zhengzhou-confrontation-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The protests began in response to [[Chinese government response to COVID-19|measures]] taken by the [[Government of China|Chinese government]] to prevent the spread of [[COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China|COVID-19 in the country]], including implementing a [[zero-COVID]] policy. Discontent towards the policy has grown since the beginning of the pandemic, which confined many people to their homes without work and left some unable to purchase or receive daily necessities.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Xinjiang residents complain of hunger after 40-day COVID lockdown |language=en |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/15/xinjiang-residents-complain-of-hunger-after-40-day-covid-lockdown |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jiang |first=Steven |date=2022-04-19 |title=Hunger and anger in Shanghai's unending lockdown nightmare |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/china/shanghai-covid-lockdown-nightmare-intl-dst-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>


While small-scale protests began in early November, widespread civil unrest erupted following [[2022 Ürümqi fire|a fire]] in [[Ürümqi]] that killed ten people, three months into a [[COVID-19 lockdown in China|lockdown]] in [[Xinjiang]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |date=26 November 2022 |title=10 killed in apartment fire in northwest China's Xinjiang |language=en |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/china-fires-6a1b6902e6ccf87e064f1232045a2848 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Protesters demanded the end of the government's zero-COVID policy and lockdowns, and some extended their protest towards the leadership of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) and its [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|general secretary]], [[Xi Jinping]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="CNN1127" />
While small-scale protests began in early November, widespread civil unrest erupted following [[2022 Ürümqi fire|a fire]] in [[Ürümqi]] that killed ten people, three months into a [[COVID-19 lockdown in China|lockdown]] in [[Xinjiang]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |date=26 November 2022 |title=10 killed in apartment fire in northwest China's Xinjiang |language=en |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/china-fires-6a1b6902e6ccf87e064f1232045a2848 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Protesters demanded the end of the government's zero-COVID policy and lockdowns, and some extended their protest towards the leadership of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP) and its [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|general secretary]], [[Xi Jinping]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="CNN1127" />
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{{Further|COVID-19 lockdown in China|Chinese government response to COVID-19}}
{{Further|COVID-19 lockdown in China|Chinese government response to COVID-19}}
[[File:Policemen wearing masks patrolling Wuhan Tianhe Airport during Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.jpg|thumb|Policemen wearing masks patrolling [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport]] during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020.]]
[[File:Policemen wearing masks patrolling Wuhan Tianhe Airport during Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.jpg|thumb|Policemen wearing masks patrolling [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport]] during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020.]]
Since the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China]], the Chinese government has made extensive use of [[lockdown]]s to manage COVID outbreaks, in an effort to implement a [[zero-COVID]] policy. These lockdowns began with the [[COVID-19 lockdown in China|lockdown]] of [[Wuhan]] in January 2020, and soon spread to other cities and municipalities, including [[Shanghai]] and [[Xinjiang]]. As these lockdowns became more widespread, they became lengthier and increasingly disruptive, precipitating increasing concern and dissent. In April 2022, the Chinese government imposed a lockdown in Shanghai, generating outrage on [[Internet in China|social media]] sites, such as [[Sina Weibo]] and [[WeChat]]; citizens were displeased with the economic effects of the lockdown, such as food shortages and the inability to work. This discontentment was exacerbated by reports of poor conditions in [[Fangcang hospital|makeshift hospitals]] and harsh enforcement of quarantines.<ref name="wp-nov19" /> These complaints were difficult to suppress, despite the strict [[Internet censorship in China|censorship]] of social media in China.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Vivian |last2=Mozur |first2=Paul |last3=Qian |first3=Isabelle |date=2022-04-27 |title=China's Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/world/asia/china-covid-propaganda.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Since the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China]], the Chinese government has made extensive use of [[lockdown]]s to manage COVID outbreaks, in an effort to implement a [[zero-COVID]] policy. These lockdowns began with the [[COVID-19 lockdown in China|lockdown]] of [[Wuhan]] in January 2020, and soon spread to other cities and municipalities, including [[Shanghai]] and [[Xinjiang]]. As these lockdowns became more widespread, they became lengthier and increasingly disruptive, precipitating increasing concern and dissent. In April 2022, the Chinese government imposed a lockdown in Shanghai, generating outrage on [[Internet in China|social media]] sites, such as [[Sina Weibo]] and [[WeChat]]; citizens were displeased with the economic effects of the lockdown, such as food shortages and the inability to work. This discontentment was exacerbated by reports of poor conditions in [[Fangcang hospital|makeshift hospitals]] and harsh enforcement of quarantines.<ref name="wp-nov19" /> These complaints were difficult to suppress, despite the strict [[Internet censorship in China|censorship]] of social media in China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Vivian |last2=Mozur |first2=Paul |last3=Qian |first3=Isabelle |date=2022-04-27 |title=China's Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/world/asia/china-covid-propaganda.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


The spread of more infectious subvariants of the [[SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant|Omicron variant]] intensified these grievances. As these subvariants spread, public trust was eroded in the Chinese government's zero-COVID policy, indicating that lockdown strategies had become ineffective and unsustainable for the [[Economy of China|Chinese economy]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spegele |first=Brian |date=2022-11-09 |title=Lockdowns Spread as New Omicron Variants Evade China's Zero-Covid Net |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lockdowns-spread-as-new-omicron-variants-evade-chinas-zero-covid-net-11667989989 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Concessions and vacillation generated a further lack of confidence and support for the policy; on 11 November, the Chinese government announced new and detailed guidelines on COVID measures in an attempt to ease the zero-COVID policy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hong |first=Jinshan |date=2022-11-11 |title=These Are the 20 New Rules China Is Following to Combat Covid |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-11/these-are-the-20-measures-guiding-china-s-covid-easing-efforts |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Verna |date=2022-11-27 |title=Depressed, powerless, angry: why frustration at China's zero-Covid is spilling over |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/27/anger-mounts-as-chinas-zero-covid-policy-fails-to-curb-record-rise-in-cases |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Enforcement by local governments varied widely: [[Shijiazhuang]] temporarily lifted most restrictions following the announcement,<ref name="wp-nov19">{{Cite news |last1=Li |first1=Lyric |last2=Shepard |first2=Christian |date=2022-11-19 |title=As China eases coronavirus restrictions, confusion and angst follow |language=en |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/china-zero-covid-policy-restrictions-protests/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> while other cities continued with strict restrictions, fearing consequences of easing lockdowns.<ref name=":8" /> Following the rollout of the new guidelines, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in multiple regions of China.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-21 |title=Beijing sees record Covid cases as China outbreak spirals |language=en-US |work=[[Yahoo! News]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://news.yahoo.com/beijing-sees-record-covid-cases-033302289.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>
The spread of more infectious subvariants of the [[SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant|Omicron variant]] intensified these grievances. As these subvariants spread, public trust was eroded in the Chinese government's zero-COVID policy, indicating that lockdown strategies had become ineffective and unsustainable for the [[Economy of China|Chinese economy]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spegele |first=Brian |date=2022-11-09 |title=Lockdowns Spread as New Omicron Variants Evade China's Zero-Covid Net |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lockdowns-spread-as-new-omicron-variants-evade-chinas-zero-covid-net-11667989989 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Concessions and vacillation generated a further lack of confidence and support for the policy; on 11 November, the Chinese government announced new and detailed guidelines on COVID measures in an attempt to ease the zero-COVID policy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hong |first=Jinshan |date=2022-11-11 |title=These Are the 20 New Rules China Is Following to Combat Covid |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-11/these-are-the-20-measures-guiding-china-s-covid-easing-efforts |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Yu |first=Verna |date=2022-11-27 |title=Depressed, powerless, angry: why frustration at China's zero-Covid is spilling over |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/27/anger-mounts-as-chinas-zero-covid-policy-fails-to-curb-record-rise-in-cases |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Enforcement by local governments varied widely: [[Shijiazhuang]] temporarily lifted most restrictions following the announcement,<ref name="wp-nov19">{{Cite news |last=Li |first=Lyric |last2=Shepard |first2=Christian |date=2022-11-19 |title=As China eases coronavirus restrictions, confusion and angst follow |language=en |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/china-zero-covid-policy-restrictions-protests/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> while other cities continued with strict restrictions, fearing consequences of easing lockdowns.<ref name=":8" /> Following the rollout of the new guidelines, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in multiple regions of China.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-21 |title=Beijing sees record Covid cases as China outbreak spirals |language=en-US |work=[[Yahoo! News]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://news.yahoo.com/beijing-sees-record-covid-cases-033302289.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>


===Democracy movements of China===
===Democracy movements of China===
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==Prelude: Sitong Bridge protest <span class="anchor" id="Prelude"></span>==
==Prelude: Sitong Bridge protest <span class="anchor" id="Prelude"></span>==
{{main|Beijing Sitong Bridge protest}}
{{main|Beijing Sitong Bridge protest}}
On 13 October 2022, on the eve of the [[20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]], a man hung two anti-lockdown and pro-democracy banners on the parapet of the {{ill|Sitong Bridge|zh|四通桥}} in [[Beijing]]. The banners were swiftly removed by the local police, and mentions of it were censored from the Chinese internet. Despite this, the news became widespread among the Chinese public, and later inspired the principal goals of the upcoming protests.<ref name="cnn_anti-xi">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-19 |title=Anti-Xi protest spreads in China and worldwide as Chinese leader begins third term |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/22/china/china-party-congress-overseas-students-protest-intl-hnk |access-date=2022-11-30 |quote=Over the past week, as party elites gathered in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to extoll Xi and his policies at the 20th Party Congress, anti-Xi slogans echoing the Sitong Bridge banners have popped up in a growing number of Chinese cities and hundreds of universities worldwide.}}</ref> By 26 November, the banner's slogans had been re-echoed by nationwide protesters.<ref name="telegraph_bridgeman">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=Bridge man: Lone protester whose call to overthrow Xi Jinping inspired a movement |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/bridge-man-lone-protester-whose-call-to-overthrow-xi-jinping-inspired-a-movement/ar-AA14EUoB |last1=Oliphant |first1=Roland |last2=Pan |first2=Jenny |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>
On 13 October 2022, on the eve of the [[20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]], a man hung two anti-lockdown and pro-democracy banners on the parapet of the {{ill|Sitong Bridge|zh|四通桥}} in [[Beijing]]. The banners were swiftly removed by the local police, and mentions of it were censored from the Chinese internet. Despite this, the news became widespread among the Chinese public.<ref name="cnn_anti-xi">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-19 |title=Anti-Xi protest spreads in China and worldwide as Chinese leader begins third term |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/22/china/china-party-congress-overseas-students-protest-intl-hnk |access-date=2022-11-30 |quote=Over the past week, as party elites gathered in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to extoll Xi and his policies at the 20th Party Congress, anti-Xi slogans echoing the Sitong Bridge banners have popped up in a growing number of Chinese cities and hundreds of universities worldwide.}}</ref> It later inspired the principal goals of the upcoming protests. By 26 November, the banners' slogans had been re-echoed by nationwide protesters.<ref name="telegraph_bridgeman">{{Cite news |last=Oliphant |first=Roland |last2=Pan |first2=Jenny |date=2022-11-28 |title=Bridge man: Lone protester whose call to overthrow Xi Jinping inspired a movement |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/bridge-man-lone-protester-whose-call-to-overthrow-xi-jinping-inspired-a-movement/ar-AA14EUoB |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>


==Early protests: Workers' demands ==
==Early protests: Workers' demands ==
===Guangzhou===
===Guangzhou===
As lockdowns returned to [[Guangzhou]] starting on 5 November 2022, residents of [[Haizhu District]] marched in the streets at night, breaking through metal barriers and demanding an end to the lockdown.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Magramo |first1=Kathleen |last2=McCarthy |first2=Simone |date=2022-11-15 |title=Residents 'revolt' over oppressive Covid lockdowns in China's Guangzhou |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/china/china-covid-guangzhou-protests-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The Haizhu district is home to many migrant workers from outside the province, who were unable to find work and unable to have sustainable incomes during lockdowns. In videos spread online, residents also criticized hour-long queues for COVID testing, an inability to purchase fresh and affordable produce, and a lack of local government support.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDonell |first=Stephen |date=2022-11-15 |title=China zero Covid: Violent protests in Guangzhou put curbs under strain |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63633109 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>
As lockdowns returned to [[Guangzhou]] starting on 5 November 2022, residents of [[Haizhu District]] marched in the streets at night, breaking through metal barriers and demanding an end to the lockdown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Magramo |first=Kathleen |last2=McCarthy |first2=Simone |date=2022-11-15 |title=Residents 'revolt' over oppressive Covid lockdowns in China's Guangzhou |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/china/china-covid-guangzhou-protests-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The Haizhu district is home to many migrant workers from outside the province, who were unable to find work and unable to have sustainable incomes during lockdowns. In videos spread online, residents also criticized hour-long queues for COVID testing, an inability to purchase fresh and affordable produce, and a lack of local government support.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDonell |first=Stephen |date=2022-11-15 |title=China zero Covid: Violent protests in Guangzhou put curbs under strain |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63633109 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>


===Zhengzhou===
===Zhengzhou===
Since late October, [[Foxconn]]'s mega factory in [[Zhengzhou]], [[Central China]], which produced the [[iPhone]] for [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], has prevented workers from leaving the factory as part of a national policy that demands zero-COVID, while also trying to keep factories open and the economy running.<ref name=":0" /> Nevertheless, workers have managed to scale through barriers and flee home, threatening the continued operation of the plant.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Yimou |date=2022-10-31 |title=EXCLUSIVE Output of Apple iPhones at major China plant could fall 30% amid COVID curbs -source |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/foxconn-covid-woes-may-hit-up-30-iphone-nov-shipments-zhengzhou-plant-source-2022-10-31/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> In early November, videos spread of workers leaving the city by foot to return home in defiance of lockdown measures.<ref name=":0" /> In response, in mid-November, local governments around the country urged veterans and retired civil servants to sign up as replacement labor, promising bonuses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 2022 |title=China urges military veterans to work at iPhone factory |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63654716}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 2022 |title=China asks retired military and government staff to boost production at COVID-hit iPhone factory |language=en |work=Sky News |url=https://news.sky.com/story/china-asks-retired-military-and-government-staff-to-boost-production-at-covid-hit-iphone-factory-12749721}}</ref> State media claims that more than 100,000 people signed up by November 18.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Toh |first=Michelle |date=18 November 2022 |title=Foxconn has recruited 100,000 new workers for largest iPhone factory, state media reports {{!}} CNN Business |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/business/foxconn-recruitment-china-covid-iphone-production-intl-hnk/index.html}}</ref>
Since late October, [[Foxconn]]'s mega factory in [[Zhengzhou]], [[Central China]], which produced the [[iPhone]] for [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], has prevented workers from leaving the factory as part of a national policy that demands zero-COVID, while also trying to keep factories open and the economy running.<ref name=":0" /> Nevertheless, workers have managed to scale through barriers and flee home, threatening the continued operation of the plant.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Yimou |date=2022-10-31 |title=EXCLUSIVE Output of Apple iPhones at major China plant could fall 30% amid COVID curbs -source |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/foxconn-covid-woes-may-hit-up-30-iphone-nov-shipments-zhengzhou-plant-source-2022-10-31/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> In early November, videos spread of workers leaving the city by foot to return home in defiance of lockdown measures.<ref name=":0" /> In response, in mid-November, local governments around the country urged veterans and retired civil servants to sign up as replacement labor, promising bonuses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 2022 |title=China urges military veterans to work at iPhone factory |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63654716}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 November 2022 |title=China asks retired military and government staff to boost production at COVID-hit iPhone factory |language=en |work=Sky News |url=https://news.sky.com/story/china-asks-retired-military-and-government-staff-to-boost-production-at-covid-hit-iphone-factory-12749721}}</ref> State media claims that more than 100,000 people signed up by November 18.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Toh |first=Michelle |date=18 November 2022 |title=Foxconn has recruited 100,000 new workers for largest iPhone factory, state media reports {{!}} CNN Business |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/18/business/foxconn-recruitment-china-covid-iphone-production-intl-hnk/index.html}}</ref>


On the night of 22–23 November,<ref name=":3" /> workers at a Foxconn factory clashed with security forces and police over poor pay and haphazard COVID restrictions.<ref name=":0" /> Workers articulated their demands in videos spread across Chinese social media, claiming that Foxconn had failed to provide promised bonuses and salary packages. According to one worker, new recruits were told by Foxconn that they would receive the bonuses in March and May 2023, long after the [[Chinese Lunar New Year]] when money was needed the most. Protesters also accused Foxconn of neglecting to separate workers who had tested positive from others, all while preventing them from leaving the factory campus because of quarantine measures. Law enforcement was filmed beating workers with batons and metal rods, while workers threw objects back and overturned police vehicles.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last1=Liu |first1=Juliana |last2=Gan |first2=Nectar |date=2022-11-24 |title=Foxconn offers to pay workers to leave world's largest iPhone factory after violent protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/business/foxconn-offer-protests-china-covid-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> On the evening of Wednesday 23 November, in response to the protest, Foxconn offered 10,000 [[Renminbi|yuan]] (approximately [[USD]]1,400) and a free ride home to workers who agreed to quit their jobs and leave the factory.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" />
On the night of 22–23 November,<ref name=":3" /> workers at a Foxconn factory clashed with security forces and police over poor pay and haphazard COVID restrictions.<ref name=":0" /> Workers articulated their demands in videos spread across Chinese social media, claiming that Foxconn had failed to provide promised bonuses and salary packages. According to one worker, new recruits were told by Foxconn that they would receive the bonuses in March and May 2023, long after the [[Chinese Lunar New Year]] when money was needed the most. Protesters also accused Foxconn of neglecting to separate workers who had tested positive from others, all while preventing them from leaving the factory campus because of quarantine measures. Law enforcement was filmed beating workers with batons and metal rods, while workers threw objects back and overturned police vehicles.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=Juliana |last2=Gan |first2=Nectar |date=2022-11-24 |title=Foxconn offers to pay workers to leave world's largest iPhone factory after violent protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/business/foxconn-offer-protests-china-covid-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> On the evening of Wednesday 23 November, in response to the protest, Foxconn offered 10,000 [[Renminbi|yuan]] (approximately [[USD]]1,400) and a free ride home to workers who agreed to quit their jobs and leave the factory.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" />


=== Chongqing ===
=== Chongqing ===
In [[Chongqing]], a man was filmed giving a speech in his residential compound on 24 November, loudly proclaiming in Chinese, "[[Give me liberty, or give me death!]]"{{efn|Chinese: [[:wiktionary:不自由毋寧死|不自由,毋宁死!]]. This is the formal translation of [[Patrick Henry]]'s phrase used by scholars.}} to the cheers and applause of the crowd. When law enforcement attempted to arrest him, the crowd fought off the police and pulled him away, although he was ultimately still detained.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last1=Pollard |first1=Martin Quin |last2=Lee |first2=Liz |date=2022-11-25 |title=China's widening COVID-19 curbs trigger public pushback |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |location=Beijing |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-32943-new-covid-cases-nov-24-vs-31656-day-earlier-2022-11-25/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Gan |first1=Nectar |last2=Wang |first2=Selina |date=2022-11-25 |title=As anger rises and tragedies mount, China shows no sign of budging on zero-Covid |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/25/china/china-zero-covid-discontent-reopening-mic-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The man was dubbed the "Chongqing superman-brother" ({{lang|zh|重庆超人哥}}) online. Quotes by him from the video were widely circulated despite censorship, such as, "there is only one disease in the world and that is being both poor and not having freedom [...] we have now got both", referring to both the lockdown and high food prices.<ref name=":4" />
In [[Chongqing]], a man was filmed giving a speech in his residential compound on 24 November, loudly proclaiming in Chinese, "[[Give me liberty, or give me death!]]"{{efn|Chinese: [[:wiktionary:不自由毋寧死|不自由,毋宁死!]]. This is the formal translation of [[Patrick Henry]]'s phrase used by scholars.}} to the cheers and applause of the crowd. When law enforcement attempted to arrest him, the crowd fought off the police and pulled him away, although he was ultimately still detained.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Pollard |first=Martin Quin |last2=Lee |first2=Liz |date=2022-11-25 |title=China's widening COVID-19 curbs trigger public pushback |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |location=Beijing |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-32943-new-covid-cases-nov-24-vs-31656-day-earlier-2022-11-25/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gan |first=Nectar |last2=Wang |first2=Selina |date=2022-11-25 |title=As anger rises and tragedies mount, China shows no sign of budging on zero-Covid |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/25/china/china-zero-covid-discontent-reopening-mic-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The man was dubbed the "Chongqing superman-brother" ({{lang|zh|重庆超人哥}}) online. Quotes by him from the video were widely circulated despite censorship, such as, "there is only one disease in the world and that is being both poor and not having freedom [...] we have now got both", referring to both the lockdown and high food prices.<ref name=":4" />


== Escalation: Ürümqi fire and reaction ==
== Escalation: Ürümqi fire and reaction ==


{{Further|2022 Ürümqi fire}}
{{Further|2022 Ürümqi fire}}
On 24 November, a fire in a building in [[Ürümqi]] killed 10 people and wounded 9 in a residential area under lockdown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |date=November 26, 2022 |title=10 killed in apartment fire in northwest China's Xinjiang |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/10-killed-in-apartment-fire-in-northwest-chinas-xinjiang/2022/11/24/d0bc6334-6c61-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |access-date=November 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Tian |first=Yew Lun |date=2022-11-26 |title=Protests erupt in Xinjiang and Beijing after deadly fire |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/huge-covid-protests-erupt-chinas-xinjiang-after-deadly-fire-2022-11-26/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The Xinjiang region had already been in strict lockdown for three months at that point. During this time, videos and images circulated on Chinese social media showed people unable to purchase basic necessities such as food and medicine.<ref name=":5" /> People accused the lockdown measures around the building on fire for preventing firefighters from being able to reach the building in time, while others expressed anger at the government's response, which seemed to [[Victim blaming|victim blame]] those who managed to escape the fire.<ref name=":1" /> Many of the dead were [[Uyghur people]], with 5 living in the same household.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feng |first=Emily |date=28 November 2022 |title=How a deadly fire in Xinjiang prompted protests unseen in China in three decades |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/11/26/1139273138/china-protests-covid-lockdown-urumqi-beijing |access-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>
On 24 November, a fire in a building in [[Ürümqi]] killed 10 people and wounded 9 in a residential area under lockdown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |date=November 26, 2022 |title=10 killed in apartment fire in northwest China's Xinjiang |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/10-killed-in-apartment-fire-in-northwest-chinas-xinjiang/2022/11/24/d0bc6334-6c61-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |access-date=November 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Tian |first=Yew Lun |date=2022-11-26 |title=Protests erupt in Xinjiang and Beijing after deadly fire |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/huge-covid-protests-erupt-chinas-xinjiang-after-deadly-fire-2022-11-26/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> The Xinjiang region had already been in strict lockdown for three months at that point. During this time, videos and images circulated on Chinese social media showed people unable to purchase basic necessities such as food and medicine.<ref name=":5" /> People accused the lockdown measures around the building on fire for preventing firefighters from being able to reach the building in time, while others expressed anger at the government's response, which seemed to [[Victim blaming|victim blame]] those who managed to escape the fire.<ref name=":1" /> Many of the dead were [[Uyghur people]], with 5 living in the same household.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feng |first=Emily |date=28 November 2022 |title=How a deadly fire in Xinjiang prompted protests unseen in China in three decades |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/11/26/1139273138/china-protests-covid-lockdown-urumqi-beijing |access-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>


On 25 November, a protest started in the [[Han people|Han]]-dominant [[Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps]] {{ill|XPCC 12th Division, 104th Regiment|lt=104th Regiment|zh|新疆生产建设兵团第十二师一〇四团}} as residents took to the streets in direct response to a public beating committed by disease control personnel.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-25 |title=拒絕防疫政策,火災後的烏魯木齊及多地民衆上街抗議封控 |language=zh |trans-title=Rejecting the disease prevention policy, a post-fire Urimqi marches against lockdown |work=[[Initium Media]] |url=https://theinitium.com/article/20221126-mainland-urumchi-protest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126164205/https://theinitium.com/article/20221126-mainland-urumchi-protest/ |archive-date=2022-11-26}}</ref> A wave of protests soon started across the city, demanding an end to the harsh lockdown measures,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-26 |title=China Xinjiang: Urumqi rocked by Covid lockdown protests after deadly fire |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63766125 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last1=Chien |first1=Amy Chang |last2=Che |first2=Chang |last3=Liu |first3=John |last4=Mozur |first4=Paul |date=2022-11-24 |title=In a Challenge to Beijing, Unrest Over Covid Lockdowns Spreads |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/world/asia/china-unrest-covid-lockdowns.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-27 |title='No more lockdowns': China zero-Covid protests spread after deadly fire |language=en |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201146/more-zero-covid-protests-china-after-deadly-lockdown-fire-xinjiang |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> with a crowd outside the city government building. The secretary-general was forced to make a public speech, promising an end to lockdown in "low-risk" areas by the next day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 26, 2022 |title=白紙革命》過度防疫!烏魯木齊大火網傳44死 人群包圍政府大樓槓市委書記 |language=zh-tw |trans-title=Blank paper revolution> Over-prevention! Urumqi fire causes an alleged 44 dead; crowds surround city govt building and rebuke the secretariat |work=[[Liberty Times]] |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4135913}}</ref>
On 25 November, a protest started in the [[Han people|Han]]-dominant [[Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps]] {{ill|XPCC 12th Division, 104th Regiment|lt=104th Regiment|zh|新疆生产建设兵团第十二师一〇四团}} as residents took to the streets in direct response to a public beating committed by disease control personnel.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-25 |title=拒絕防疫政策,火災後的烏魯木齊及多地民衆上街抗議封控 |language=zh |trans-title=Rejecting the disease prevention policy, a post-fire Urimqi marches against lockdown |work=[[Initium Media]] |url=https://theinitium.com/article/20221126-mainland-urumchi-protest/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126164205/https://theinitium.com/article/20221126-mainland-urumchi-protest/ |archive-date=2022-11-26}}</ref> A wave of protests soon started across the city, demanding an end to the harsh lockdown measures,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-26 |title=China Xinjiang: Urumqi rocked by Covid lockdown protests after deadly fire |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63766125 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Chien |first=Amy Chang |last2=Che |first2=Chang |last3=Liu |first3=John |last4=Mozur |first4=Paul |date=2022-11-24 |title=In a Challenge to Beijing, Unrest Over Covid Lockdowns Spreads |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/world/asia/china-unrest-covid-lockdowns.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-27 |title='No more lockdowns': China zero-Covid protests spread after deadly fire |language=en |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201146/more-zero-covid-protests-china-after-deadly-lockdown-fire-xinjiang |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> with a crowd outside the city government building. The secretary-general was forced to make a public speech, promising an end to lockdown in "low-risk" areas by the next day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 26, 2022 |title=白紙革命》過度防疫!烏魯木齊大火網傳44死 人群包圍政府大樓槓市委書記 |language=zh-tw |trans-title=Blank paper revolution> Over-prevention! Urumqi fire causes an alleged 44 dead; crowds surround city govt building and rebuke the secretariat |work=[[Liberty Times]] |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4135913}}</ref>


===26 November===
===26 November===
Line 110: Line 110:


==== Nanjing ====
==== Nanjing ====
On 26 November, in Nanjing, satirical posters against the zero-COVID policy were removed, and in protest, a student stood on the steps of the [[Communication University of China, Nanjing]], holding a blank sheet of paper, until it was snatched from her. Subsequently, hundreds of students gathered on the steps with blank sheets of paper<ref name="defiance">{{Cite news |last1=Pollard |first1=Martin Quin |last2=Goh |first2=Brenda |date=27 November 2022 |title=Blank sheets of paper become symbol of defiance in China protests |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/blank-sheets-paper-become-symbol-defiance-china-protests-2022-11-27/ |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="erupt" /> to hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire, using phone flashlights as stand-ins for candles<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-26 |title=南京传媒学院学生聚集点亮灯光,高喊:"人民万岁!逝者安息!" |language=zh-hans |trans-title=Students from Nanjing Institute of Communication and Communication gathered to light up the lights and shouted: "Long live the people! Rest in peace!" |work=[[China Digital Times]] |url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/690159.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> and [[Blank piece of paper (protest tactic)|held up blank pieces of paper]] in reference to the censorship surrounding the event.<ref name="Guardian1">{{Cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Helena |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=2022-11-27 |title=Anti-lockdown protests spread across China amid growing anger at zero-Covid strategy |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=Taipei |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/27/anti-lockdown-protests-spread-across-china-amid-growing-anger-at-zero-covid-strategy |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> A student participating in the rally, who stated he was from Xinjiang, spoke: "Before I felt I was a coward, but now at this moment I feel I can stand up. I speak for my home region, speak for those friends who lost relatives and kin in the fire disaster, and for the deceased".<ref name=erupt/> An unidentified man arrived to rebuke the protesting crowd, saying that "one day you'll pay for everything you did today", with students replying that "the state will also have to pay the price for what it has done".<ref name="defiance" />
On 26 November, in Nanjing, satirical posters against the zero-COVID policy were removed, and in protest, a student stood on the steps of the [[Communication University of China, Nanjing]], holding a blank sheet of paper, until it was snatched from her. Subsequently, hundreds of students gathered on the steps with blank sheets of paper<ref name="defiance">{{Cite news |last=Pollard |first=Martin Quin |last2=Goh |first2=Brenda |date=27 November 2022 |title=Blank sheets of paper become symbol of defiance in China protests |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/blank-sheets-paper-become-symbol-defiance-china-protests-2022-11-27/ |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="erupt" /> to hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire, using phone flashlights as stand-ins for candles<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-26 |title=南京传媒学院学生聚集点亮灯光,高喊:"人民万岁!逝者安息!" |language=zh-hans |trans-title=Students from Nanjing Institute of Communication and Communication gathered to light up the lights and shouted: "Long live the people! Rest in peace!" |work=[[China Digital Times]] |url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/690159.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> and [[Blank piece of paper (protest tactic)|held up blank pieces of paper]] in reference to the censorship surrounding the event.<ref name="Guardian1">{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helena |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=2022-11-27 |title=Anti-lockdown protests spread across China amid growing anger at zero-Covid strategy |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=Taipei |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/27/anti-lockdown-protests-spread-across-china-amid-growing-anger-at-zero-covid-strategy |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> A student participating in the rally, who stated he was from Xinjiang, spoke: "Before I felt I was a coward, but now at this moment I feel I can stand up. I speak for my home region, speak for those friends who lost relatives and kin in the fire disaster, and for the deceased".<ref name=erupt/> An unidentified man arrived to rebuke the protesting crowd, saying that "one day you'll pay for everything you did today", with students replying that "the state will also have to pay the price for what it has done".<ref name="defiance" />


==== Lanzhou ====
==== Lanzhou ====
Line 116: Line 116:


==== Shanghai ====
==== Shanghai ====
The largest protest on 26 November appeared in Shanghai, as young people gathered on Ürümqi Road ({{lang|zh|乌鲁木齐中路}}, officially "Wulumuqi Rd (M)"), in reference to the city where the fire took place.<ref name=erupt/> They lit candles and laid flowers in mourning for the victims of the fire.<ref name=rare/> They also held pieces of blank paper over their faces or heads; [[Mourning#East Asia|white is the traditional colour of mourning in China]].<ref name=erupt/> Videos showed chants openly criticizing CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's [[Xi Jinping Administration|administration]],<ref name="erupt">{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=2022-11-26 |title=Protests Erupt in Shanghai and Other Chinese Cities Over Covid Controls |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/world/asia/china-protests-covid.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> with hundreds chanting "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!"<ref name="CNN1127">{{Cite news |last=Gan |first=Nectar |date=2022-11-27 |title=Protests erupt across China in unprecedented challenge to Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |location=Beijing |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/26/china/china-protests-xinjiang-fire-shanghai-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name="crowd_angered">{{Cite news |last1=Kang |first1=Dake |last2=Wu |first2=Huizhong |date=2022-11-27 |title=Crowd angered by lockdowns calls for China's Xi to step down |language=en |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-health-fires-social-media-50d7515e5fae00f5054062209e9306cc |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheong |first=Danson |date=2022-11-27 |title=China signals no change to zero-Covid-19 policy amid mass protests that challenge Xi |language=en |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-signals-it-s-sticking-to-zero-covid-policy-despite-protests |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Videos circulating on social media also show the crowd facing police chanting slogans such as "[[serve the people]]", "we want freedom" and "we don't want the [[Health Code]]".<ref name=":7" /> Some people sang the national anthem, "[[March of the Volunteers]]", during the protest.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Tess |last2=Williams |first2=Nathan |date=2022-11-28 |title=China Covid: Protests continue in major cities across the country |work=[[BBC News]] |location=[[Singapore]] & [[London]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63771109 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> In the early morning hours, police suddenly surrounded the crowd and arrested several people.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kang |first1=Dake |last2=Wu |first2=Huizhong |date=2022-11-28 |orig-date=2022-11-27 |title=Protesters angry at China's lockdowns call for Xi to resign; crowds clash with police in Shanghai |work=[[USA TODAY]] |location=Shanghai |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/27/china-protests-xi-resign-shanghai/10785142002/ |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> Police also used pepper spray to disperse the protesters and made arrests, and beat some protestors.<ref name="crowd_angered" />
The largest protest on 26 November appeared in Shanghai, as young people gathered on Ürümqi Road ({{lang|zh|乌鲁木齐中路}}, officially "Wulumuqi Rd (M)"), in reference to the city where the fire took place.<ref name=erupt/> They lit candles and laid flowers in mourning for the victims of the fire.<ref name=rare/> They also held pieces of blank paper over their faces or heads; [[Mourning#East Asia|white is the traditional colour of mourning in China]].<ref name=erupt/> Videos showed chants openly criticizing CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's [[Xi Jinping Administration|administration]],<ref name="erupt">{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=2022-11-26 |title=Protests Erupt in Shanghai and Other Chinese Cities Over Covid Controls |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/world/asia/china-protests-covid.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> with hundreds chanting "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!"<ref name="CNN1127">{{Cite news |last=Gan |first=Nectar |date=2022-11-27 |title=Protests erupt across China in unprecedented challenge to Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |location=Beijing |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/26/china/china-protests-xinjiang-fire-shanghai-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name="crowd_angered">{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |last2=Wu |first2=Huizhong |date=2022-11-27 |title=Crowd angered by lockdowns calls for China's Xi to step down |language=en |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-health-fires-social-media-50d7515e5fae00f5054062209e9306cc |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheong |first=Danson |date=2022-11-27 |title=China signals no change to zero-Covid-19 policy amid mass protests that challenge Xi |language=en |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-signals-it-s-sticking-to-zero-covid-policy-despite-protests |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> Videos circulating on social media also show the crowd facing police chanting slogans such as "[[serve the people]]", "we want freedom" and "we don't want the [[Health Code]]".<ref name=":7" /> Some people sang the national anthem, "[[March of the Volunteers]]", during the protest.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Tess |last2=Williams |first2=Nathan |date=2022-11-28 |title=China Covid: Protests continue in major cities across the country |work=[[BBC News]] |location=[[Singapore]] & [[London]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63771109 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> In the early morning hours, police suddenly surrounded the crowd and arrested several people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Dake |last2=Wu |first2=Huizhong |date=2022-11-28 |orig-date=2022-11-27 |title=Protesters angry at China's lockdowns call for Xi to resign; crowds clash with police in Shanghai |work=[[USA TODAY]] |location=Shanghai |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/27/china-protests-xi-resign-shanghai/10785142002/ |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> Police also used pepper spray to disperse the protesters and made arrests, and beat some protestors.<ref name="crowd_angered" />


==== Chengdu ====
==== Chengdu ====
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In Shanghai, the [[Associated Press]] saw some bystanders charged and tackled by police near an intersection where there had previously been protests, although the bystanders were not visibly expressing dissent.<ref name="eases">{{Cite news |date=29 November 2022 |title=China eases up after protests |work=[[Taipei Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/11/29/2003789782}}</ref> A protestor said police had tried to arrest him, but the crowd around him had pulled him free so he could escape.<ref name=shanghai_flare/>
In Shanghai, the [[Associated Press]] saw some bystanders charged and tackled by police near an intersection where there had previously been protests, although the bystanders were not visibly expressing dissent.<ref name="eases">{{Cite news |date=29 November 2022 |title=China eases up after protests |work=[[Taipei Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/11/29/2003789782}}</ref> A protestor said police had tried to arrest him, but the crowd around him had pulled him free so he could escape.<ref name=shanghai_flare/>


On 27 November, [[BBC News]] journalist Edward Lawrence was assaulted by Shanghai police, and detained for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=China Covid: BBC journalist detained by police during protests |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63779176 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref name="theGuardian1128">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=BBC says Chinese police assaulted and detained its reporter at Shanghai protest |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/bbc-says-chinese-police-assaulted-and-detained-its-reporter-at-shanghai-protest |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> Footage circulated on social media showed Lawrence being dragged to the ground in handcuffs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Shiyin |date=27 November 2022 |title=BBC Says Journalist Beaten by Police at China Covid Protests |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-27/bbc-journalist-beaten-by-police-at-china-covid-protests-pa-says?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> The responding authorities stated that they arrested him "for his own good" so that he would not catch COVID-19 from the crowd.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Milliken |first1=David |last2=Pollard |first2=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=BBC says Chinese police assaulted one of its journalists at Shanghai protest |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |location=[[London]] and [[Beijing]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/bbc-says-chinese-police-assaulted-journalist-covering-protest-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> The BBC News press team rebuked those claims as not a credible explanation.<ref name=":9" />
On 27 November, [[BBC News]] journalist Edward Lawrence was assaulted by Shanghai police, and detained for several hours.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=China Covid: BBC journalist detained by police during protests |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63779176 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref name="theGuardian1128">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=BBC says Chinese police assaulted and detained its reporter at Shanghai protest |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/bbc-says-chinese-police-assaulted-and-detained-its-reporter-at-shanghai-protest |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> Footage circulated on social media showed Lawrence being dragged to the ground in handcuffs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Shiyin |date=27 November 2022 |title=BBC Says Journalist Beaten by Police at China Covid Protests |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-27/bbc-journalist-beaten-by-police-at-china-covid-protests-pa-says?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> The responding authorities stated that they arrested him "for his own good" so that he would not catch COVID-19 from the crowd.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Milliken |first=David |last2=Pollard |first2=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=BBC says Chinese police assaulted one of its journalists at Shanghai protest |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |location=[[London]] and [[Beijing]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/bbc-says-chinese-police-assaulted-journalist-covering-protest-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> The BBC News press team rebuked those claims as not a credible explanation.<ref name=":9" />


[[File:Urumqi Road Sign at U Chicago Candlelight Vigil.jpg|thumb|A mock Ürümqi Road street sign at a candlelight vigil in the United States.]]
[[File:Urumqi Road Sign at U Chicago Candlelight Vigil.jpg|thumb|A mock Ürümqi Road street sign at a candlelight vigil in the United States.]]
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====Beijing====
====Beijing====
At least 1,000 people gathered along Beijing's [[3rd Ring Road (Beijing)|third ring road]] on 27 November to protest COVID restrictions.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last1=Helen |first1=Davidson |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=2022-11-28 |title=Clashes in Shanghai as protests over zero-Covid policy grip China |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/clashes-in-shanghai-as-protests-over-zero-covid-policy-grip-china |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> The Beijing people chanted "We are all Shanghai people! We are all Xinjiang people!".<ref name=nyt_beijing/> Potentially due to proximity to political power in the nation's capital city, demonstrators in Beijing debated the use of explicitly political slogans, such as calling for Xi to step down, versus more narrowly opposing severe COVID controls, as well as whether to call it a protest or a simply a vigil. Participants discussed demands that the movement could agree upon, such as an apology for the Ürümqi fire, while others worried about police infiltration of marches, since some demonstrators had already received calls from local police.<ref name="vigil">{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Vivian |date=28 November 2022 |title=A Protest? A Vigil? In Beijing, Anxious Crowds Are Unsure How Far to Go. |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/world/asia/china-protests-covid-beijing.html |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref><!--duplicate of <ref name=nyt_beijing/>-->
At least 1,000 people gathered along Beijing's [[3rd Ring Road (Beijing)|third ring road]] on 27 November to protest COVID restrictions.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last=Helen |first=Davidson |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=2022-11-28 |title=Clashes in Shanghai as protests over zero-Covid policy grip China |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/clashes-in-shanghai-as-protests-over-zero-covid-policy-grip-china |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> The Beijing people chanted "We are all Shanghai people! We are all Xinjiang people!".<ref name=nyt_beijing/> Potentially due to proximity to political power in the nation's capital city, demonstrators in Beijing debated the use of explicitly political slogans, such as calling for Xi to step down, versus more narrowly opposing severe COVID controls, as well as whether to call it a protest or a simply a vigil. Participants discussed demands that the movement could agree upon, such as an apology for the Ürümqi fire, while others worried about police infiltration of marches, since some demonstrators had already received calls from local police.<ref name="vigil">{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Vivian |date=28 November 2022 |title=A Protest? A Vigil? In Beijing, Anxious Crowds Are Unsure How Far to Go. |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/world/asia/china-protests-covid-beijing.html |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref><!--duplicate of <ref name=nyt_beijing/>-->


On 27 November, students held a memorial at [[Tsinghua University]] in Beijing, contributing to student demonstrations taking place at over 50 university campuses throughout China.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last1=Hall |first1=Casey |last2=Horwitz |first2=Josh |last3=Pollard |first3=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=Protests in Shanghai and Beijing as anger over China's COVID curbs mounts |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hit-by-covid-protests-anger-spreads-across-china-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name="Euronews">{{Cite news |last=Bellamy |first=Daniel |date=27 November 2022 |title=China: Calls for Xi Jinping to resign as rare COVID rule protests spread across major cities |publisher=[[Euronews]] |url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/27/china-calls-for-xi-jinping-to-resign-as-rare-covid-rule-protests-spread-across-major-citie |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> The protest began at 11:30 when some students held up signs outside the canteen and some hundreds joined them.<ref name="mass">{{Cite news |date=27 November 2022 |title=Mass Vigil, Graffiti & Civil Disobedience: Universities Latest Hotspot of Growing Anger Against Xi in China |language=en |work=News18 |publisher=[[Network18 Group]] |url=https://www.news18.com/news/world/china-protest-covid-19-university-beijing-shanghai-xi-jinping-6481927.html}}</ref> They chanted "freedom will prevail" and sang "[[The Internationale]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 November 2022 |title=Protests spread in China as anger mounts over 'zero-COVID' |language=en |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/27/protests-in-shanghai-as-anger-over-zero-covid-spreads-in-china |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> A female student from Tsinghua University said over a loudspeaker: "If because we are afraid of being arrested, we don't speak, I believe our people would be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua student, I would regret this my whole life!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lai |first=Chin-hung |date=27 November 2022 |title=抗議封控!大陸多所大學出現示威海報 學生舉白紙抗議 |language=zh-hant |trans-title=Protest against lockdown! Protest posters appear at universities in China, students protest with white paper |work=[[United Daily News]] |url=https://udn.com/news/story/122650/6797728 |access-date=27 November 2022 |quote=一名北京清大女學生在校內的紫荊餐廳門口,高舉白紙大喊口號……有一名老師穿越人群,到學生面前稱「你們現在搞到失控了!」嘗試勸離人群。該女生還哭著說:「如果我們因為害怕被捕,所以就不敢發聲,我覺得我們的人民都會對我們失望。作為清華的學生,我會後悔一輩子!」 |trans-quote=A female student at Beijing's Tsinghua University holds up a white paper and shouts slogans at the entrance of the Bauhinia Restaurant on campus... A teacher went through the crowd and said, "You're out of control!" and tried to persuade the crowd to leave. The girl also cried, 'If we are afraid to speak out because we are afraid of being arrested, I think our people would be disappointed in us. As a student of Tsinghua, I would regret it for the rest of my life!'}}</ref><ref name="rare">{{Cite news |last=Kuo |first=Lily |date=27 November 2022 |title=Rare protests against China's 'zero covid' policy erupt across country |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/27/china-covid-lockdown-protest-xinjiang/ |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref>
On 27 November, students held a memorial at [[Tsinghua University]] in Beijing, contributing to student demonstrations taking place at over 50 university campuses throughout China.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Casey |last2=Horwitz |first2=Josh |last3=Pollard |first3=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=Protests in Shanghai and Beijing as anger over China's COVID curbs mounts |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hit-by-covid-protests-anger-spreads-across-china-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref name="Euronews">{{Cite news |last=Bellamy |first=Daniel |date=27 November 2022 |title=China: Calls for Xi Jinping to resign as rare COVID rule protests spread across major cities |publisher=[[Euronews]] |url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/27/china-calls-for-xi-jinping-to-resign-as-rare-covid-rule-protests-spread-across-major-citie |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> The protest began at 11:30 when some students held up signs outside the canteen and some hundreds joined them.<ref name="mass">{{Cite news |date=27 November 2022 |title=Mass Vigil, Graffiti & Civil Disobedience: Universities Latest Hotspot of Growing Anger Against Xi in China |language=en |work=News18 |publisher=[[Network18 Group]] |url=https://www.news18.com/news/world/china-protest-covid-19-university-beijing-shanghai-xi-jinping-6481927.html}}</ref> They chanted "freedom will prevail" and sang "[[The Internationale]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 November 2022 |title=Protests spread in China as anger mounts over 'zero-COVID' |language=en |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/27/protests-in-shanghai-as-anger-over-zero-covid-spreads-in-china |access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> A female student from Tsinghua University said over a loudspeaker: "If because we are afraid of being arrested, we don't speak, I believe our people would be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua student, I would regret this my whole life!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lai |first=Chin-hung |date=27 November 2022 |title=抗議封控!大陸多所大學出現示威海報 學生舉白紙抗議 |language=zh-hant |trans-title=Protest against lockdown! Protest posters appear at universities in China, students protest with white paper |work=[[United Daily News]] |url=https://udn.com/news/story/122650/6797728 |access-date=27 November 2022 |quote=一名北京清大女學生在校內的紫荊餐廳門口,高舉白紙大喊口號……有一名老師穿越人群,到學生面前稱「你們現在搞到失控了!」嘗試勸離人群。該女生還哭著說:「如果我們因為害怕被捕,所以就不敢發聲,我覺得我們的人民都會對我們失望。作為清華的學生,我會後悔一輩子!」 |trans-quote=A female student at Beijing's Tsinghua University holds up a white paper and shouts slogans at the entrance of the Bauhinia Restaurant on campus... A teacher went through the crowd and said, "You're out of control!" and tried to persuade the crowd to leave. The girl also cried, 'If we are afraid to speak out because we are afraid of being arrested, I think our people would be disappointed in us. As a student of Tsinghua, I would regret it for the rest of my life!'}}</ref><ref name="rare">{{Cite news |last=Kuo |first=Lily |date=27 November 2022 |title=Rare protests against China's 'zero covid' policy erupt across country |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/27/china-covid-lockdown-protest-xinjiang/ |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref>


At Peking University, graffiti and banners echoed those of the Sitong bridge protest, but demonstrators did not gather until midnight local time. By 02:00, there were between one and two hundred. They sang The Internationale and chanted hesitantly. "No to COVID tests, yes to freedom!" was one of the slogans.<ref name=mass/>
At Peking University, graffiti and banners echoed those of the Sitong bridge protest, but demonstrators did not gather until midnight local time. By 02:00, there were between one and two hundred. They sang The Internationale and chanted hesitantly. "No to COVID tests, yes to freedom!" was one of the slogans.<ref name=mass/>


Later that evening, some Beijing protesters gathered on both banks of the Liangma River,<ref name=nyt_beijing/> also singing "The Internationale" and "March of the Volunteers". One remarked "do not forget those who died in the [[2022 Guizhou bus crash|Guizhou bus crash]]... do not forget freedom", referring to a September incident in which a bus taking locals to a COVID-19 quarantine center crashed, killing 27 people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Laurie |date=2022-11-27 |title='Long Live The People!' Beijingers Gather For Frigid Anti-lockdown Rally |work=[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]] |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/long-live-the-people-beijingers-gather-for-frigid-anti-lockdown-rally-01669565407 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> In a confrontation between protesters and their opponents in Beijing, protesters were told not to be manipulated by foreign influences, with one protester replying "by foreign influence do you mean [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels|Engels]]?" and "We can't even go on [[List of websites blocked in mainland China|foreign websites]]!"<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Crisp |first1=James |last2=Pan |first2=Jenny |date=27 November 2022 |title=China clamps down on 'A4 revolution' by removing images of white paper from internet |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/11/27/bbc-journalist-beaten-kicked-police-covid-protests-china/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Helen |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=28 November 2022 |title=Chinese police out in force in attempt to deter Covid lockdown protests |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/china-zero-covid-police-shanghai-protests |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Kayla |last2=Martens |first2=Hannah |date=28 November 2022 |title=China blames 'forces with ulterior motives' for linking Xinjiang fire with strict Covid-19 rules |language=en |work=[[Mothership (website)|Mothership]] |url=https://mothership.sg/2022/11/china-blames-forces-ulterior-motives-censors-protest/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Others in Beijing chanted slogans echoing the banners of the October [[Beijing Sitong Bridge protest]], such as "Remove the traitor-dictator Xi Jinping!"<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cheng |first1=Rita |last2=Huang |first2=Xiaoshan |last3=Cheng |first3=Raymond |date=2022-11-27 |title=Angered by COVID lockdowns, protests spread across China as some call for Xi's ouster |work=[[Radio Free Asia]] |editor-last=Foster |editor-first=Malcolm |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-protests-11272022150843.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |editor2-last=Mudie |editor2-first=Luisetta |translator-last=Mudie |translator-first=Luisetta}}</ref>
Later that evening, some Beijing protesters gathered on both banks of the Liangma River,<ref name=nyt_beijing/> also singing "The Internationale" and "March of the Volunteers". One remarked "do not forget those who died in the [[2022 Guizhou bus crash|Guizhou bus crash]]... do not forget freedom", referring to a September incident in which a bus taking locals to a COVID-19 quarantine center crashed, killing 27 people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Laurie |date=2022-11-27 |title='Long Live The People!' Beijingers Gather For Frigid Anti-lockdown Rally |work=[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]] |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/long-live-the-people-beijingers-gather-for-frigid-anti-lockdown-rally-01669565407 |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> In a confrontation between protesters and their opponents in Beijing, protesters were told not to be manipulated by foreign influences, with one protester replying "by foreign influence do you mean [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels|Engels]]?" and "We can't even go on [[List of websites blocked in mainland China|foreign websites]]!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crisp |first=James |last2=Pan |first2=Jenny |date=27 November 2022 |title=China clamps down on 'A4 revolution' by removing images of white paper from internet |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/11/27/bbc-journalist-beaten-kicked-police-covid-protests-china/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helen |last2=Yu |first2=Verna |date=28 November 2022 |title=Chinese police out in force in attempt to deter Covid lockdown protests |language=en |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/china-zero-covid-police-shanghai-protests |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Kayla |last2=Martens |first2=Hannah |date=28 November 2022 |title=China blames 'forces with ulterior motives' for linking Xinjiang fire with strict Covid-19 rules |language=en |work=[[Mothership (website)|Mothership]] |url=https://mothership.sg/2022/11/china-blames-forces-ulterior-motives-censors-protest/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Others in Beijing chanted slogans echoing the banners of the October [[Beijing Sitong Bridge protest]], such as "Remove the traitor-dictator Xi Jinping!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheng |first=Rita |last2=Huang |first2=Xiaoshan |last3=Cheng |first3=Raymond |date=2022-11-27 |title=Angered by COVID lockdowns, protests spread across China as some call for Xi's ouster |work=[[Radio Free Asia]] |editor-last=Foster |editor-first=Malcolm |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-protests-11272022150843.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |editor2-last=Mudie |editor2-first=Luisetta |translator-last=Mudie |translator-first=Luisetta}}</ref>


At around 01:00 local time on 28 November, an official came to talk to the riverside protesters. At around 02:00, police marched in, and the protesters were dispersed. Police presence continued through 28 November.<ref name=nyt_beijing/>
At around 01:00 local time on 28 November, an official came to talk to the riverside protesters. At around 02:00, police marched in, and the protesters were dispersed. Police presence continued through 28 November.<ref name=nyt_beijing/>


====Wuhan====
====Wuhan====
Hundreds of people protested in Wuhan on 27 November, with many destroying metal barricades that surrounded locked-down communities, overturning COVID testing tents and demanding an end to lockdowns, while some demanded Xi to resign.<ref>{{Cite news |title=In China's Wuhan, Where Covid Outbreak Began, Hundreds Protest On Streets |work=[[NDTV]] |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-chinas-wuhan-where-covid-outbreak-began-hundreds-protest-on-streets-3558172 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Chris |last2=Wang |first2=Vivian |last3=Che |first3=Chang |last4=Chien |first4=Amy Chang |date=2022-11-27 |title=After Deadly Blaze, Surge of Defiance Against China's Covid Policies |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/world/asia/china-covid-protest.html |access-date=2022-11-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="shanghai_flare">{{Cite news |last1=Hall |first1=Casey |last2=Horwitz |first2=Josh |last3=Pollard |first3=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=Clashes in Shanghai as COVID protests flare across China |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hit-by-covid-protests-anger-spreads-across-china-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>
Hundreds of people protested in Wuhan on 27 November, with many destroying metal barricades that surrounded locked-down communities, overturning COVID testing tents and demanding an end to lockdowns, while some demanded Xi to resign.<ref>{{Cite news |title=In China's Wuhan, Where Covid Outbreak Began, Hundreds Protest On Streets |work=[[NDTV]] |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-chinas-wuhan-where-covid-outbreak-began-hundreds-protest-on-streets-3558172 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |last2=Wang |first2=Vivian |last3=Che |first3=Chang |last4=Chien |first4=Amy Chang |date=2022-11-27 |title=After Deadly Blaze, Surge of Defiance Against China's Covid Policies |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/world/asia/china-covid-protest.html |access-date=2022-11-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="shanghai_flare">{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Casey |last2=Horwitz |first2=Josh |last3=Pollard |first3=Martin Quin |date=2022-11-27 |title=Clashes in Shanghai as COVID protests flare across China |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hit-by-covid-protests-anger-spreads-across-china-2022-11-27/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>


==== Hong Kong ====
==== Hong Kong ====
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==== Shanghai ====
==== Shanghai ====
After two days of protests in Shanghai, police erected [[barricades]] in Ürümqi Road on 28 November.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hameed |first=Mansoor |date=28 November 2022 |title=Police barricade street in Shanghai after two nights of protests |work=[[The Siasat Daily]] |url=https://www.siasat.com/police-barricade-street-in-shanghai-after-two-nights-of-protests-2468143/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Later that evening, police were out checking the phones of pedestrians in Shanghai,<ref name=uclose/> in which they were specifically instructed to look for VPNs, [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]], and [[Twitter]].<ref name="seek">{{Cite news |last1=Pollard |first1=Martin Quin |last2=Baptista |first2=Eduardo |date=29 November 2022 |title=Chinese authorities seek out COVID protesters |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-police-out-numbers-prevent-more-covid-protests-2022-11-29/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>
After two days of protests in Shanghai, police erected [[barricades]] in Ürümqi Road on 28 November.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hameed |first=Mansoor |date=28 November 2022 |title=Police barricade street in Shanghai after two nights of protests |work=[[The Siasat Daily]] |url=https://www.siasat.com/police-barricade-street-in-shanghai-after-two-nights-of-protests-2468143/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Later that evening, police were out checking the phones of pedestrians in Shanghai,<ref name=uclose/> in which they were specifically instructed to look for VPNs, [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]], and [[Twitter]].<ref name="seek">{{Cite news |last=Pollard |first=Martin Quin |last2=Baptista |first2=Eduardo |date=29 November 2022 |title=Chinese authorities seek out COVID protesters |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-police-out-numbers-prevent-more-covid-protests-2022-11-29/ |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>


Protestors had planned to gather in the [[People's Square]], but a large police presence prevented it. An attempt to change location was prevented when police also got there first.<ref name=swings/>
Protestors had planned to gather in the [[People's Square]], but a large police presence prevented it. An attempt to change location was prevented when police also got there first.<ref name=swings/>
Line 169: Line 169:


==== Hangzhou ====
==== Hangzhou ====
On the evening of 28 November in [[Hangzhou]], hundreds of citizens held a demonstration at the intersection of Hubin Yintai in77, demanding the authorities to release the detained protesters. Around the same time, a driver played the song "[[Do You Hear the People Sing?]]" in the background while waiting for the traffic lights at the intersection near the in 77 shopping district and was cheered on by passersby.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=白紙革命》中國警方「預防性」清場 杭州商圈多人被抓捕 |trans-title=White paper revolution> Chinese police "preventive" clearance, many people in Hangzhou business district were arrested |language=zh-hant-TW |work=[[Liberty Times]] |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4138706 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref>
On the evening of 28 November in [[Hangzhou]], hundreds of citizens held a demonstration at the intersection of Hubin Yintai in77, demanding the authorities to release the detained protesters. Around the same time, a driver played the song "[[Do You Hear the People Sing?]]" in the background while waiting for the traffic lights at the intersection near the in 77 shopping district and was cheered on by passersby.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=白紙革命》中國警方「預防性」清場 杭州商圈多人被抓捕 |language=zh-hant-TW |trans-title=White paper revolution> Chinese police "preventive" clearance, many people in Hangzhou business district were arrested |work=[[Liberty Times]] |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4138706 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref>


==== Beijing ====
==== Beijing ====
As universities began to shutter across Beijing, nine Tsinghua University dorms were closed, with positive COVID-19 cases as the reason given. Meanwhile, as the [[Beijing Forestry University]] closed, the administration noted that no students or faculty had tested positive.<ref name="Student Return">{{Cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Joe |last2=Kang |first2=Dake |last3=Wu |first3=Huizhong |date=29 November 2022 |title=Students sent home, police on patrol as China curbs protests |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-beijing-xi-jinping-shanghai-covid-5e6340710ba8b273b3be88d8844feed0 |access-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221129073144/https://apnews.com/article/health-beijing-xi-jinping-shanghai-covid-5e6340710ba8b273b3be88d8844feed0 |archive-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Heavy police presence in the capital prevented demonstrators from gathering.<ref name="seek" />
As universities began to shutter across Beijing, nine Tsinghua University dorms were closed, with positive COVID-19 cases as the reason given. Meanwhile, as the [[Beijing Forestry University]] closed, the administration noted that no students or faculty had tested positive.<ref name="Student Return">{{Cite news |last=McDonald |first=Joe |last2=Kang |first2=Dake |last3=Wu |first3=Huizhong |date=29 November 2022 |title=Students sent home, police on patrol as China curbs protests |work=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-beijing-xi-jinping-shanghai-covid-5e6340710ba8b273b3be88d8844feed0 |access-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221129073144/https://apnews.com/article/health-beijing-xi-jinping-shanghai-covid-5e6340710ba8b273b3be88d8844feed0 |archive-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Heavy police presence in the capital prevented demonstrators from gathering.<ref name="seek" />


===29 November===
===29 November===
As on the previous day, there were crowds of police at the sites of past protests. In Shanghai, the sidewalks of Ürümqi Road were barricaded along the full length with two-meter-tall solid blue barricades. The People's Square in central Shanghai, where a protest had been planned for the night, was also heavily patrolled, with police stopping people, checking mobile phones, and asking if they had installed [[virtual private network]]s; all but one exit of the subway station there was closed off. [[Mass surveillance in China#Xinjiang|Surveillance techniques previously used in Xinjiang]] were implemented in several cities.<ref name="swings">{{Cite news |last1=Gan |first1=Nectar |last2=Wang |first2=Philip |date=29 November 2022 |title=China's security apparatus swings into action to smother Covid protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/china/china-protest-crackdown-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> University administrations responded to the rallies held the previous days by telling students that they could leave early for winter break, offering free rail and air travel to take them home.<ref name="intimidation">{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=29 November 2022 |title=With Intimidation and Surveillance, China Tries to Snuff Out Protests |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/world/asia/china-protest-covid-security.html}}</ref>
As on the previous day, there were crowds of police at the sites of past protests. In Shanghai, the sidewalks of Ürümqi Road were barricaded along the full length with two-meter-tall solid blue barricades. The People's Square in central Shanghai, where a protest had been planned for the night, was also heavily patrolled, with police stopping people, checking mobile phones, and asking if they had installed [[virtual private network]]s; all but one exit of the subway station there was closed off. [[Mass surveillance in China#Xinjiang|Surveillance techniques previously used in Xinjiang]] were implemented in several cities.<ref name="swings">{{Cite news |last=Gan |first=Nectar |last2=Wang |first2=Philip |date=29 November 2022 |title=China's security apparatus swings into action to smother Covid protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/china/china-protest-crackdown-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> University administrations responded to the rallies held the previous days by telling students that they could leave early for winter break, offering free rail and air travel to take them home.<ref name="intimidation">{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=29 November 2022 |title=With Intimidation and Surveillance, China Tries to Snuff Out Protests |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/world/asia/china-protest-covid-security.html}}</ref>


By midday, there had been at least 43 small-scale protests in 22 cities.<ref name="nyp">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Lee |date=30 November 2022 |title=China vows to 'resolutely crack down' as protests continue |work=[[New York Post]] |url=https://nypost.com/2022/11/30/china-vows-to-resolutely-crack-down-as-protests-continue/}}</ref>
By midday, there had been at least 43 small-scale protests in 22 cities.<ref name="nyp">{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Lee |date=30 November 2022 |title=China vows to 'resolutely crack down' as protests continue |work=[[New York Post]] |url=https://nypost.com/2022/11/30/china-vows-to-resolutely-crack-down-as-protests-continue/}}</ref>


Videos showed small-scale protests inside locked-down developments, with residents demanding to be freed.<ref name="intimidation"/>
Videos showed small-scale protests inside locked-down developments, with residents demanding to be freed.<ref name="intimidation" />


On social networks outside of the Chinese government's control, protesters planned how to track the police, use multiple mobile phones, and form small clusters in order to continue protesting.<ref name=intimidation/>
On social networks outside of the Chinese government's control, protesters planned how to track the police, use multiple mobile phones, and form small clusters in order to continue protesting.<ref name=intimidation/>


In a press conference live-streamed to a state media account on Sina Weibo, Chinese health authorities pledged a rectification of anti-COVID-19 measures. Live audience comments included “We’ve cooperated with you for three years, now it’s time to give our freedom back" and "Can you stop filtering our comments? Listen to the people, the sky won’t fall".<ref name="health">{{Cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Simone |last2=Chang |first2=Wayne |date=29 November 2022 |title=Chinese health officials defend zero-Covid policy but pledge to rectify some measures amid protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/29/china/china-covid-response-protests-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>
In a press conference live-streamed to a state media account on Sina Weibo, Chinese health authorities pledged a rectification of anti-COVID-19 measures. Live audience comments included “We’ve cooperated with you for three years, now it’s time to give our freedom back" and "Can you stop filtering our comments? Listen to the people, the sky won’t fall".<ref name="health">{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Simone |last2=Chang |first2=Wayne |date=29 November 2022 |title=Chinese health officials defend zero-Covid policy but pledge to rectify some measures amid protests |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/29/china/china-covid-response-protests-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>


==== Jinan ====
==== Jinan ====
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==== Guangzhou ====
==== Guangzhou ====
Fresh protests arose in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou late in the evening of 29 November. Witnesses said that roughly 100 police officers converged on the district's Houjiao village and arrested at least three of the protestors. Police were wearing hazmat suits and held riot shields to protect themselves from debris as they attempted to contain the demonstration.<ref name="Guangzhou 2">{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Yvette |date=30 November 2022 |title=China Covid: Unrest continues in Guangzhou as lockdown anger grows |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher= |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63805187 |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> Barriers were torn down, the crowd threw objects, possibly glass bottles, and tear gas was used. Local authorities later stated that businesses would be allowed to re-open and the lockdown would be lightened. Other city districts of Guangzhou also cancelled mass testing and lightened lockdowns.<ref name=nyp/><ref name="warns">{{Cite news |last=Li |first=Lyric |date=30 November 2022 |title=China warns of crackdown amid confused messaging on 'zero covid' future |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/30/china-zero-covid-protests-crackdown-lockdown/ |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref><!-- we need more content on what was happening in Guangzhou over the weekend-->
Fresh protests arose in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou late in the evening of 29 November. Witnesses said that roughly 100 police officers converged on the district's Houjiao village and arrested at least three of the protestors. Police were wearing hazmat suits and held riot shields to protect themselves from debris as they attempted to contain the demonstration.<ref name="Guangzhou 2">{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Yvette |date=30 November 2022 |title=China Covid: Unrest continues in Guangzhou as lockdown anger grows |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63805187 |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> Barriers were torn down, the crowd threw objects, possibly glass bottles, and tear gas was used. Local authorities later stated that businesses would be allowed to re-open and the lockdown would be lightened. Other city districts of Guangzhou also cancelled mass testing and lightened lockdowns.<ref name=nyp/><ref name="warns">{{Cite news |last=Li |first=Lyric |date=30 November 2022 |title=China warns of crackdown amid confused messaging on 'zero covid' future |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/30/china-zero-covid-protests-crackdown-lockdown/ |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref><!-- we need more content on what was happening in Guangzhou over the weekend-->


===30 November===
===30 November===
Hundreds of government vans, [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]], and [[Armored car (military)|armoured vehicles]] were parked along city streets; police and paramilitary forces continued to randomly check citizens' IDs and mobile phones, looking for foreign apps, photos of the protests, or other evidence that people had taken part. Online mentions of the protests continued to be deleted.<ref name=nyp/>
Hundreds of government vans, [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]], and [[Armored car (military)|armoured vehicles]] were parked along city streets; police and paramilitary forces continued to randomly check citizens' IDs and mobile phones, looking for foreign apps, photos of the protests, or other evidence that people had taken part. Online mentions of the protests continued to be deleted.<ref name=nyp/>


Upon the [[death and state funeral of Jiang Zemin|death]] of former CCP general secretary [[Jiang Zemin]] on the same day at 12:13 local time, censors moved to restrict Weibo comments related to his death, as some Weibo users had begun to compare his presidency to the current administration, in thinly-veiled criticisms of current CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.<ref name="nyt_jiang">{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Chris |date=30 November 2022 |title=For China's Leader, Another Dilemma: How to Mourn Jiang Zemin |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher= |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/world/asia/jiang-zemin-china-xi.html |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> Some protesters on Telegram groups mentioned his death as an opportunity to gather in his honour and vent anger against the government's policies.<ref name="wsj_jiang">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jiang-zemin-former-china-paramount-leader-dies-at-96-11669798669 |title=Jiang Zemin, Leader Who Presided Over China’s Economic Rise, Dies at 96 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |last=Wong |first=Chunhan |date=2022-11-30 |access-date=2022-11-30 }}</ref>
Upon the [[death and state funeral of Jiang Zemin|death]] of former CCP general secretary [[Jiang Zemin]] on the same day at 12:13 local time, censors moved to restrict Weibo comments related to his death, as some Weibo users had begun to compare his presidency to the current administration, in thinly-veiled criticisms of current CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.<ref name="nyt_jiang">{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=30 November 2022 |title=For China's Leader, Another Dilemma: How to Mourn Jiang Zemin |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/world/asia/jiang-zemin-china-xi.html |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> Some protesters on Telegram groups mentioned his death as an opportunity to gather in his honour and vent anger against the government's policies.<ref name="wsj_jiang">{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Chunhan |date=2022-11-30 |title=Jiang Zemin, Leader Who Presided Over China’s Economic Rise, Dies at 96 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jiang-zemin-former-china-paramount-leader-dies-at-96-11669798669 |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>


=== Abroad ===
=== Abroad ===
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A vigil attended by around 80 to 100 people was held on 27 November at [[Liberty Square (Taipei)|Liberty Square]] in [[Taipei]], Taiwan, in solidarity with the protests in China. Speakers included [[Wang Dan (dissident)|Wang Dan]] and [[Zhou Fengsuo]], activists who participated in the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre|1989 Tiananmen Square protests]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lu |first=Chia-jung |date=2022-11-27 |title=聲援中國抗議 自由廣場燭光哀悼烏魯木齊逝者 |language=zh-hant |trans-title=Solidarity with China's Protests, Freedom Square Candlelight Mourning Urumqi's Dead |work=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)]] |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202211270214.aspx |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hioe |first=Brian |date=27 November 2022 |title=Vigil Held in Liberty Plaza in Solidarity for Victims of Urumqi Fire, Protests in China |work=New Bloom Magazine |url=https://newbloommag.net/2022/11/27/urumqi-vigil-liberty-plaza/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>
A vigil attended by around 80 to 100 people was held on 27 November at [[Liberty Square (Taipei)|Liberty Square]] in [[Taipei]], Taiwan, in solidarity with the protests in China. Speakers included [[Wang Dan (dissident)|Wang Dan]] and [[Zhou Fengsuo]], activists who participated in the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre|1989 Tiananmen Square protests]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lu |first=Chia-jung |date=2022-11-27 |title=聲援中國抗議 自由廣場燭光哀悼烏魯木齊逝者 |language=zh-hant |trans-title=Solidarity with China's Protests, Freedom Square Candlelight Mourning Urumqi's Dead |work=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)]] |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202211270214.aspx |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hioe |first=Brian |date=27 November 2022 |title=Vigil Held in Liberty Plaza in Solidarity for Victims of Urumqi Fire, Protests in China |work=New Bloom Magazine |url=https://newbloommag.net/2022/11/27/urumqi-vigil-liberty-plaza/ |access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref>


Protests and vigils have also taken place in other cities, including Tokyo, London, Brisbane, Paris, and Amsterdam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pang |first=Jessie |date=2022-11-28 |title=China's protests over lockdowns spread to campuses and communities abroad |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-protests-over-lockdowns-spread-campuses-communities-abroad-2022-11-28/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> A member of esports organisation [[Alliance (esports)|Alliance]] was placed under investigation after she staged a solo protest outside the Chinese embassy in [[Tanglin]], Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Andres |first1=Gabrielle |title=Police investigate woman who staged solo protest in front of Chinese embassy in Singapore |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-investigate-woman-protest-china-embassy-permit-public-assembly-3109006 |access-date=1 December 2022 |work=[[CNA (TV network)|CNA]] |publisher=[[Mediacorp]] |date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201071715/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-investigate-woman-protest-china-embassy-permit-public-assembly-3109006 |archive-date=1 December 2022 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref>
Protests and vigils have also taken place in other cities, including Tokyo, London, Brisbane, Paris, and Amsterdam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pang |first=Jessie |date=2022-11-28 |title=China's protests over lockdowns spread to campuses and communities abroad |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-protests-over-lockdowns-spread-campuses-communities-abroad-2022-11-28/ |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> A member of esports organisation [[Alliance (esports)|Alliance]] was placed under investigation after she staged a solo protest outside the Chinese embassy in [[Tanglin]], Singapore.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andres |first=Gabrielle |date=29 November 2022 |title=Police investigate woman who staged solo protest in front of Chinese embassy in Singapore |language=en |work=[[CNA (TV network)|CNA]] |publisher=[[Mediacorp]] |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-investigate-woman-protest-china-embassy-permit-public-assembly-3109006 |url-status=live |access-date=1 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201071715/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-investigate-woman-protest-china-embassy-permit-public-assembly-3109006 |archive-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>


In the United States, the largest recipient of Chinese overseas students, vigils have taken place at a variety of universities, including [[Yale University]], [[Stanford University]], and [[Harvard University]]. On 29 November, vigils also took place outside Chinese diplomatic missions in the US, with approximately 400 people attending a vigil outside the Chinese consulate in [[New York City|New York]] and roughly 200 outside the Chinese consulate in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Sands |first1=Leo |last2=Yu |first2=Thedora |date=November 28, 2022 |title=China's rare protests spark demonstrations of solidarity around globe |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/28/china-protests-global-solidarity-vigils/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Consulates">{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Mark |date=30 November 2022 |title=Hundreds at Harvard, NYC, Chicago protest China's actions |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-china-beijing-xi-jinping-covid-f805fe4ade1919a852b92e19d6346c3d |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref>
In the United States, the largest recipient of Chinese overseas students, vigils have taken place at a variety of universities, including [[Yale University]], [[Stanford University]], and [[Harvard University]]. On 29 November, vigils also took place outside Chinese diplomatic missions in the US, with approximately 400 people attending a vigil outside the Chinese consulate in [[New York City|New York]] and roughly 200 outside the Chinese consulate in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sands |first=Leo |last2=Yu |first2=Thedora |date=November 28, 2022 |title=China's rare protests spark demonstrations of solidarity around globe |work=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/28/china-protests-global-solidarity-vigils/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Consulates">{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Mark |date=30 November 2022 |title=Hundreds at Harvard, NYC, Chicago protest China's actions |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-china-beijing-xi-jinping-covid-f805fe4ade1919a852b92e19d6346c3d |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref>


== Censorship and resistance==
== Censorship and resistance==
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==== Hong Kong ====
==== Hong Kong ====
Hong Kong security minister [[Chris Tang]] claimed that demonstrators in solidarity with the mainland protests attempted to “incite [others] to target the central authorities”, and that the activities held were “not random” and were “highly organised”, while also claiming that some individuals who were “active in the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|black-clad violence in 2019]]” also took part in the events.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Kelly |date=2022-11-30 |title=Rallies for China's Covid-19 protests a sign of 'fledgling colour revolution,' Hong Kong security chief says |language=en-GB |website=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2022/11/30/rallies-for-chinas-covid-19-protests-a-sign-of-fledgling-colour-revolution-hong-kong-security-chief-says/ |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>
Hong Kong security minister [[Chris Tang]] claimed that demonstrators in solidarity with the mainland protests attempted to “incite [others] to target the central authorities”, and that the activities held were “not random” and were “highly organised”, while also claiming that some individuals who were “active in the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|black-clad violence in 2019]]” also took part in the events.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ho |first=Kelly |date=2022-11-30 |title=Rallies for China's Covid-19 protests a sign of 'fledgling colour revolution,' Hong Kong security chief says |language=en-GB |work=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2022/11/30/rallies-for-chinas-covid-19-protests-a-sign-of-fledgling-colour-revolution-hong-kong-security-chief-says/ |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>


=== Republic of China (Taiwan) ===
=== Republic of China (Taiwan) ===
The [[Mainland Affairs Council]] of the Republic of China (Taiwan) called on the PRC to treat protestors peacefully and rationally and to gradually loosen up COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wu |first1=Chia-jung |last2=Ko |first2=Lin |last3=Wang |first3=Yang-yu |last4=Lin |first4=Sean |date=2022-11-29 |title=Taiwan calls on China to adjust strict COVID-19 policy amid protests (update) |work=Focus Taiwan |agency=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)|Central News Agency]] |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202211290010 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> The [[Democratic Progressive Party]] called on the government to actively listen and respond to the demands of the people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Yun |date=2022-11-28 |title=《白紙革命》民進黨:密切關注 北京必須正視人民聲音 |language=zh-hant |trans-title="White Paper Revolution" DPP: Paying close attention. Beijing must listen to the voice of the people. |work=自由時報 |location=Taipei |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4138741 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128170531/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4138741 |archive-date=2022-11-28 |trans-work=[[Liberty Times]]}}</ref>
The [[Mainland Affairs Council]] of the Republic of China (Taiwan) called on the PRC to treat protestors peacefully and rationally and to gradually loosen up COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wu |first=Chia-jung |last2=Ko |first2=Lin |last3=Wang |first3=Yang-yu |last4=Lin |first4=Sean |date=2022-11-29 |title=Taiwan calls on China to adjust strict COVID-19 policy amid protests (update) |work=Focus Taiwan |agency=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)|Central News Agency]] |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202211290010 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> The [[Democratic Progressive Party]] called on the government to actively listen and respond to the demands of the people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Yun |date=2022-11-28 |title=《白紙革命》民進黨:密切關注 北京必須正視人民聲音 |language=zh-hant |trans-title="White Paper Revolution" DPP: Paying close attention. Beijing must listen to the voice of the people. |work=自由時報 |location=Taipei |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4138741 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128170531/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4138741 |archive-date=2022-11-28 |trans-work=[[Liberty Times]]}}</ref>


=== International ===
=== International ===
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==== Countries ====
==== Countries ====
* {{Flag|Canada}}: [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]] expressed his support for [[freedom of speech]] in China.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-29 |title=Canada's Trudeau says people in China should be allowed to protest |work=[[Reuters]] |location=Ottawa |editor-last=Berkrot |editor-first=Bill |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/canadas-trudeau-says-people-china-should-be-allowed-protest-2022-11-29/ |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Dylan |date=2022-11-29 |title=Trudeau expresses support for Chinese protesters as show of dissent roils Beijing |language=en |work=[[CTV News]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-expresses-support-for-chinese-protesters-as-show-of-dissent-roils-beijing-1.6173296 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Canada}}: [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]] expressed his support for [[freedom of speech]] in China.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-29 |title=Canada's Trudeau says people in China should be allowed to protest |work=[[Reuters]] |location=Ottawa |editor-last=Berkrot |editor-first=Bill |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/canadas-trudeau-says-people-china-should-be-allowed-protest-2022-11-29/ |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Dylan |date=2022-11-29 |title=Trudeau expresses support for Chinese protesters as show of dissent roils Beijing |language=en |work=[[CTV News]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-expresses-support-for-chinese-protesters-as-show-of-dissent-roils-beijing-1.6173296 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Germany}}: [[President of Germany|German President]] [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] asked Chinese authorities to "respect" the freedom of protesters and that he "understand[s] why people want to voice their impatience and grievance". He said that he hoped the Chinese authorities would respect the protesters' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration, and that the protests would remain peaceful.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Blanchard |first1=Sandrine |last2=Romaniec |first2=Rosalia |date=2022-11-28 |title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier ne voit "pas d'issue" en ce moment pour l'Ukraine |language=fr |trans-title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees 'no way out' right now for Ukraine |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/fr/allemagne-steinmeier-interview-chine-ukraine-balkans/a-63919757 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit suggested that the Chinese government should address its strict COVID lockdown policies by administering Western-made [[mRNA vaccine]]s, which Germany and Europe had a "very good experience with" and had allowed most countries to ease COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=von der Burchard |first=Hans |date=2022-11-28 |title=Germany to China: Use Western vaccines, duh |work=[[Politico Europe]] |location=Berlin |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-china-use-western-covid-coronavirus-mrna-vaccines-duh/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Germany}}: [[President of Germany|German President]] [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] asked Chinese authorities to "respect" the freedom of protesters and that he "understand[s] why people want to voice their impatience and grievance". He said that he hoped the Chinese authorities would respect the protesters' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration, and that the protests would remain peaceful.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blanchard |first=Sandrine |last2=Romaniec |first2=Rosalia |date=2022-11-28 |title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier ne voit "pas d'issue" en ce moment pour l'Ukraine |language=fr |trans-title=Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees 'no way out' right now for Ukraine |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/fr/allemagne-steinmeier-interview-chine-ukraine-balkans/a-63919757 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit suggested that the Chinese government should address its strict COVID lockdown policies by administering Western-made [[mRNA vaccine]]s, which Germany and Europe had a "very good experience with" and had allowed most countries to ease COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=von der Burchard |first=Hans |date=2022-11-28 |title=Germany to China: Use Western vaccines, duh |work=[[Politico Europe]] |location=Berlin |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-china-use-western-covid-coronavirus-mrna-vaccines-duh/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref>
* {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: In response to the arrest of [[BBC]] journalist Edward Lawrence, British [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Rishi Sunak]] described it as "shocking and unacceptable" and that China was moving towards "even greater authoritarianism".<ref name="SCMP" /><ref>{{Cite speech |last=Sunak |first=Rishi |location=[[Number 10 Downing Street|Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street]] |date=2022-11-28 |access-date=2022-11-29 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-to-the-lord-mayors-banquet-28-november-2022 |title=PM speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet: 28 November 2022 |publisher=[[Government of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref> British [[Foreign Secretary]] [[James Cleverly]] called the incident "deeply disturbing" and it was "clear" that the people of China were "deeply unhappy" about the COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ott |first1=Haley |last2=Palmer |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Zhang |first3=Shuai |date=28 November 2022 |title=China's Xi Jinping faces calls to step down as deadly fire sparks unprecedented protests over "zero-COVID" policy |work=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/xi-jinping-step-down-china-deadly-fire-protests-zero-covid-policy/ |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="DW1">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=Global governments urge China to respect COVID protests |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/en/global-governments-urge-china-to-respect-covid-protests/a-63919243 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> [[Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy|Business Secretary]] [[Grant Shapps]] said that there was "absolutely no excuse whatsoever" for journalists covering the protests to be attacked by police.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wingate |first=Sophie |date=2022-11-28 |title=UK warns China after BBC journalist 'beaten' by police during protests |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/china-bbc-grant-shapps-tom-tugendhat-people-b2234267.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128114027/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/china-bbc-grant-shapps-tom-tugendhat-people-b2234267.html |archive-date=2022-11-28}}</ref>
* {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: In response to the arrest of [[BBC]] journalist Edward Lawrence, British [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Rishi Sunak]] described it as "shocking and unacceptable" and that China was moving towards "even greater authoritarianism".<ref name="SCMP" /><ref>{{Cite speech |last=Sunak |first=Rishi |location=[[Number 10 Downing Street|Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street]] |date=2022-11-28 |access-date=2022-11-29 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-to-the-lord-mayors-banquet-28-november-2022 |title=PM speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet: 28 November 2022 |publisher=[[Government of the United Kingdom]]}}</ref> British [[Foreign Secretary]] [[James Cleverly]] called the incident "deeply disturbing" and it was "clear" that the people of China were "deeply unhappy" about the COVID restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ott |first=Haley |last2=Palmer |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Zhang |first3=Shuai |date=28 November 2022 |title=China's Xi Jinping faces calls to step down as deadly fire sparks unprecedented protests over "zero-COVID" policy |work=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/xi-jinping-step-down-china-deadly-fire-protests-zero-covid-policy/ |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="DW1">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-28 |title=Global governments urge China to respect COVID protests |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/en/global-governments-urge-china-to-respect-covid-protests/a-63919243 |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> [[Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy|Business Secretary]] [[Grant Shapps]] said that there was "absolutely no excuse whatsoever" for journalists covering the protests to be attacked by police.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wingate |first=Sophie |date=2022-11-28 |title=UK warns China after BBC journalist 'beaten' by police during protests |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/china-bbc-grant-shapps-tom-tugendhat-people-b2234267.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128114027/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/china-bbc-grant-shapps-tom-tugendhat-people-b2234267.html |archive-date=2022-11-28}}</ref>
* {{Flag|United States}}: The [[Joe Biden|Biden]] [[Presidency of Joe Biden|administration]], via [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] spokesman [[John Kirby (admiral)|John Kirby]], voiced support for the protests, and that President Biden was being briefed on the situation.<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news |last=Sanger |first=David E. |author-link=David E. Sanger |date=2022-11-28 |title=White House Weighs How Forcefully to Support Protesters in China |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=Washington |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/us/politics/biden-china-covid-protests.html |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hjelmgaard |first1=Kim |last2=Collins |first2=Michael |date=28 November 2022 |title=White House weighs in as China gripped by large-scale protests over Xi's COVID-19 policies |language=en-US |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/28/chinas-covid-protests-biden/10788858002/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby |date=2022-11-28 |publisher=The White House |location=James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/11/28/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-council-coordinator-for-strategic-communications-john-kirby-4/ |last1=Jean-Pierre |first1=Karine |last2=Kirby |first2=John |access-date=2022-11-29 |author-link1=Karine Jean-Pierre |author-link2=John Kirby (admiral)}}</ref> The [[Embassy of the United States, Beijing|U.S. Embassy in Beijing]] said that [[US Ambassador to China|Ambassador]] [[R. Nicholas Burns|Nick Burns]] had raised concerns directly with senior Chinese officials. The embassy encouraged American citizens to keep a 14-day supply of water, food and medication for their household.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=U.S. Mission China Statement to American Citizens |date=2022-11-28 |publisher=[[Embassy of the United States, Beijing|U.S. Embassy in Beijing]] |url=https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/u-s-mission-china-statement-to-american-citizens-2/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last1=Toosi |first1=Nahal |last2=Kine |first2=Phelim |date=2022-11-28 |title=Biden administration reacts with caution to China protests |work=[[Politico]] |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/28/biden-administration-china-protests-zero-covid-00070924 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Orange |date=2022-11-29 |title=US embassy in China urges Americans to stock up on daily necessities amid Covid surge and protests |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201339/us-embassy-china-urges-americans-stock-daily-necessities-amid-covid-surge-and-protests |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> Numerous Republican politicians criticized the Biden administration's response as "weak" and "pitiful", and of failing to "stand up to the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people".<ref name="SCMP">{{Cite news |last1=Razdan |first1=Kushbook |last2=Birmingham |first2=Finbarr |date=2022-11-29 |title=US Republicans slam Biden for 'weakness' on China protests; UK's Sunak seethes over journalist detention |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |location=New York and Brussels |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201338/us-republicans-slam-biden-weakness-china-protests-uks-sunak-seethes-over-journalist-detention |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> According to ''[[Politico]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'', a more forceful response from the Biden administration would have given the Chinese government more reason to deflect attention away from the demands of the protesters by alleging foreign involvement in the protests.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="NYT1" />
* {{Flag|United States}}: The [[Joe Biden|Biden]] [[Presidency of Joe Biden|administration]], via [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] spokesman [[John Kirby (admiral)|John Kirby]], voiced support for the protests, and that President Biden was being briefed on the situation.<ref name="NYT1">{{Cite news |last=Sanger |first=David E. |author-link=David E. Sanger |date=2022-11-28 |title=White House Weighs How Forcefully to Support Protesters in China |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=Washington |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/us/politics/biden-china-covid-protests.html |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hjelmgaard |first=Kim |last2=Collins |first2=Michael |date=28 November 2022 |title=White House weighs in as China gripped by large-scale protests over Xi's COVID-19 policies |language=en-US |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/28/chinas-covid-protests-biden/10788858002/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby |date=2022-11-28 |publisher=The White House |location=James S. Brady Press Briefing Room |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/11/28/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-council-coordinator-for-strategic-communications-john-kirby-4/ |last1=Jean-Pierre |first1=Karine |last2=Kirby |first2=John |access-date=2022-11-29 |author-link1=Karine Jean-Pierre |author-link2=John Kirby (admiral)}}</ref> The [[Embassy of the United States, Beijing|U.S. Embassy in Beijing]] said that [[US Ambassador to China|Ambassador]] [[R. Nicholas Burns|Nick Burns]] had raised concerns directly with senior Chinese officials. The embassy encouraged American citizens to keep a 14-day supply of water, food and medication for their household.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=U.S. Mission China Statement to American Citizens |date=2022-11-28 |publisher=[[Embassy of the United States, Beijing|U.S. Embassy in Beijing]] |url=https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/u-s-mission-china-statement-to-american-citizens-2/ |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Toosi |first=Nahal |last2=Kine |first2=Phelim |date=2022-11-28 |title=Biden administration reacts with caution to China protests |work=[[Politico]] |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/28/biden-administration-china-protests-zero-covid-00070924 |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Orange |date=2022-11-29 |title=US embassy in China urges Americans to stock up on daily necessities amid Covid surge and protests |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3201339/us-embassy-china-urges-americans-stock-daily-necessities-amid-covid-surge-and-protests |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> Numerous Republican politicians criticized the Biden administration's response as "weak" and "pitiful", and of failing to "stand up to the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people".<ref name="SCMP">{{Cite news |last=Razdan |first=Kushbook |last2=Birmingham |first2=Finbarr |date=2022-11-29 |title=US Republicans slam Biden for 'weakness' on China protests; UK's Sunak seethes over journalist detention |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |location=New York and Brussels |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3201338/us-republicans-slam-biden-weakness-china-protests-uks-sunak-seethes-over-journalist-detention |access-date=2022-11-29}}</ref> According to ''[[Politico]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'', a more forceful response from the Biden administration would have given the Chinese government more reason to deflect attention away from the demands of the protesters by alleging foreign involvement in the protests.<ref name=":12" /><ref name="NYT1" />


==== International organizations ====
==== International organizations ====

Revision as of 00:57, 2 December 2022

2022 COVID-19 protests in China
Part of protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and democracy movements in China
Southwest Jiaotong University students mourned the victims of the fire in Ürümqi, and held a blank paper in protest, and then sang "The Internationale" and "March of the Volunteers"
Date5 November 2022 - 25 November 2022 (minor protests) 26 November 2022 – ongoing (main protests)
Location
Mainland China, Hong Kong
(with solidarity protests abroad)
Caused by
Goals
MethodsProtests, protest songs, demonstrations, riots, civil unrest, student activism, internet activism
StatusOngoing
Parties
Protesters
Lead figures
Map

The 2022 COVID-19 protests, also referred to as the White Paper Protests[a][4] or the A4 Revolution,[b][5] are a series of ongoing protests against COVID-19 lockdowns began in mainland China in November 2022.[6][2][7][8][9] The protests began in response to measures taken by the Chinese government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, including implementing a zero-COVID policy. Discontent towards the policy has grown since the beginning of the pandemic, which confined many people to their homes without work and left some unable to purchase or receive daily necessities.[10][11]

While small-scale protests began in early November, widespread civil unrest erupted following a fire in Ürümqi that killed ten people, three months into a lockdown in Xinjiang.[12] Protesters demanded the end of the government's zero-COVID policy and lockdowns, and some extended their protest towards the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its general secretary, Xi Jinping.[7][13]

Background

COVID-19 lockdowns in China

Policemen wearing masks patrolling Wuhan Tianhe International Airport during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, the Chinese government has made extensive use of lockdowns to manage COVID outbreaks, in an effort to implement a zero-COVID policy. These lockdowns began with the lockdown of Wuhan in January 2020, and soon spread to other cities and municipalities, including Shanghai and Xinjiang. As these lockdowns became more widespread, they became lengthier and increasingly disruptive, precipitating increasing concern and dissent. In April 2022, the Chinese government imposed a lockdown in Shanghai, generating outrage on social media sites, such as Sina Weibo and WeChat; citizens were displeased with the economic effects of the lockdown, such as food shortages and the inability to work. This discontentment was exacerbated by reports of poor conditions in makeshift hospitals and harsh enforcement of quarantines.[14] These complaints were difficult to suppress, despite the strict censorship of social media in China.[15]

The spread of more infectious subvariants of the Omicron variant intensified these grievances. As these subvariants spread, public trust was eroded in the Chinese government's zero-COVID policy, indicating that lockdown strategies had become ineffective and unsustainable for the Chinese economy.[16] Concessions and vacillation generated a further lack of confidence and support for the policy; on 11 November, the Chinese government announced new and detailed guidelines on COVID measures in an attempt to ease the zero-COVID policy.[17][18] Enforcement by local governments varied widely: Shijiazhuang temporarily lifted most restrictions following the announcement,[14] while other cities continued with strict restrictions, fearing consequences of easing lockdowns.[18] Following the rollout of the new guidelines, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in multiple regions of China.[19]

Democracy movements of China

Various political movements for democracy have sprung up in opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s one-party rule. The growing discontent with the Chinese government's response to COVID-19 has precipitated discussions of freedom and democracy in China and some calls for the resignation of Xi Jinping, who was endorsed for an unprecedented third term as CCP general secretary (top position in China) weeks before the beginning of the widespread protests.[20][21]

Prelude: Sitong Bridge protest

On 13 October 2022, on the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, a man hung two anti-lockdown and pro-democracy banners on the parapet of the Sitong Bridge [zh] in Beijing. The banners were swiftly removed by the local police, and mentions of it were censored from the Chinese internet. Despite this, the news became widespread among the Chinese public.[22] It later inspired the principal goals of the upcoming protests. By 26 November, the banners' slogans had been re-echoed by nationwide protesters.[23]

Early protests: Workers' demands

Guangzhou

As lockdowns returned to Guangzhou starting on 5 November 2022, residents of Haizhu District marched in the streets at night, breaking through metal barriers and demanding an end to the lockdown.[24] The Haizhu district is home to many migrant workers from outside the province, who were unable to find work and unable to have sustainable incomes during lockdowns. In videos spread online, residents also criticized hour-long queues for COVID testing, an inability to purchase fresh and affordable produce, and a lack of local government support.[25]

Zhengzhou

Since late October, Foxconn's mega factory in Zhengzhou, Central China, which produced the iPhone for Apple, has prevented workers from leaving the factory as part of a national policy that demands zero-COVID, while also trying to keep factories open and the economy running.[2] Nevertheless, workers have managed to scale through barriers and flee home, threatening the continued operation of the plant.[26] In early November, videos spread of workers leaving the city by foot to return home in defiance of lockdown measures.[2] In response, in mid-November, local governments around the country urged veterans and retired civil servants to sign up as replacement labor, promising bonuses.[27][28] State media claims that more than 100,000 people signed up by November 18.[29]

On the night of 22–23 November,[9] workers at a Foxconn factory clashed with security forces and police over poor pay and haphazard COVID restrictions.[2] Workers articulated their demands in videos spread across Chinese social media, claiming that Foxconn had failed to provide promised bonuses and salary packages. According to one worker, new recruits were told by Foxconn that they would receive the bonuses in March and May 2023, long after the Chinese Lunar New Year when money was needed the most. Protesters also accused Foxconn of neglecting to separate workers who had tested positive from others, all while preventing them from leaving the factory campus because of quarantine measures. Law enforcement was filmed beating workers with batons and metal rods, while workers threw objects back and overturned police vehicles.[2][30] On the evening of Wednesday 23 November, in response to the protest, Foxconn offered 10,000 yuan (approximately USD1,400) and a free ride home to workers who agreed to quit their jobs and leave the factory.[30][9]

Chongqing

In Chongqing, a man was filmed giving a speech in his residential compound on 24 November, loudly proclaiming in Chinese, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"[c] to the cheers and applause of the crowd. When law enforcement attempted to arrest him, the crowd fought off the police and pulled him away, although he was ultimately still detained.[31][32] The man was dubbed the "Chongqing superman-brother" (重庆超人哥) online. Quotes by him from the video were widely circulated despite censorship, such as, "there is only one disease in the world and that is being both poor and not having freedom [...] we have now got both", referring to both the lockdown and high food prices.[31]

Escalation: Ürümqi fire and reaction

On 24 November, a fire in a building in Ürümqi killed 10 people and wounded 9 in a residential area under lockdown.[33][7] The Xinjiang region had already been in strict lockdown for three months at that point. During this time, videos and images circulated on Chinese social media showed people unable to purchase basic necessities such as food and medicine.[10] People accused the lockdown measures around the building on fire for preventing firefighters from being able to reach the building in time, while others expressed anger at the government's response, which seemed to victim blame those who managed to escape the fire.[7] Many of the dead were Uyghur people, with 5 living in the same household.[34]

On 25 November, a protest started in the Han-dominant Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps 104th Regiment [zh] as residents took to the streets in direct response to a public beating committed by disease control personnel.[35] A wave of protests soon started across the city, demanding an end to the harsh lockdown measures,[8][9][36] with a crowd outside the city government building. The secretary-general was forced to make a public speech, promising an end to lockdown in "low-risk" areas by the next day.[37]

26 November

List circulated by Chinese students, including 51 universities with anti-lockdown demonstrations as of 27 November.[38]

By 26 November, protests and memorials in solidarity with the victims of the Ürümqi fire had spread to large Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Xi'an, and Shanghai.[7][8][9][39]

Nanjing

On 26 November, in Nanjing, satirical posters against the zero-COVID policy were removed, and in protest, a student stood on the steps of the Communication University of China, Nanjing, holding a blank sheet of paper, until it was snatched from her. Subsequently, hundreds of students gathered on the steps with blank sheets of paper[40][41] to hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire, using phone flashlights as stand-ins for candles[42] and held up blank pieces of paper in reference to the censorship surrounding the event.[43] A student participating in the rally, who stated he was from Xinjiang, spoke: "Before I felt I was a coward, but now at this moment I feel I can stand up. I speak for my home region, speak for those friends who lost relatives and kin in the fire disaster, and for the deceased".[41] An unidentified man arrived to rebuke the protesting crowd, saying that "one day you'll pay for everything you did today", with students replying that "the state will also have to pay the price for what it has done".[40]

Lanzhou

On 26 November, videos filmed protesters in Lanzhou destroying tents and booths for COVID-19 testing.[44][1] Protesters alleged that they were put under lockdown despite there being zero positive cases in the area.[45] Earlier in November, a case in Lanzhou had circulated on social media where a 3-year-old boy died before he could be taken to the hospital in time due to lockdown measures, sparking backlash and anger online.[9]

Shanghai

The largest protest on 26 November appeared in Shanghai, as young people gathered on Ürümqi Road (乌鲁木齐中路, officially "Wulumuqi Rd (M)"), in reference to the city where the fire took place.[41] They lit candles and laid flowers in mourning for the victims of the fire.[39] They also held pieces of blank paper over their faces or heads; white is the traditional colour of mourning in China.[41] Videos showed chants openly criticizing CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's administration,[41] with hundreds chanting "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!"[13][46][47] Videos circulating on social media also show the crowd facing police chanting slogans such as "serve the people", "we want freedom" and "we don't want the Health Code".[45] Some people sang the national anthem, "March of the Volunteers", during the protest.[48] In the early morning hours, police suddenly surrounded the crowd and arrested several people.[49] Police also used pepper spray to disperse the protesters and made arrests, and beat some protestors.[46]

Chengdu

In Chengdu, crowds gathered in the streets and chanted "We don't want lifelong rulers. We don't want emperors."[1][39]

Xi'an

A mobile-lit vigil was also held at the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts [zh], which attracted hundreds of demonstrators, according to posts circulated on social media.[39][50]

Korla

A video emerged of hundreds gathered in the prefecture's government office in Korla, calling "Lift the lockdown!". Like the protestors in Ürümqi, many of those protesting in Korla seemed to be of Han ethnicity. An official came out and promised that lockdowns would be eased; he was welcomed by the crowd.[41]

27 November

Students at Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, holding a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire. The candles are arranged in a heart shape. The faces of students are blurred to protect anonymity.
Students at Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, holding a candlelight vigil for victims of the fire.

Shanghai

In Shanghai, the Associated Press saw some bystanders charged and tackled by police near an intersection where there had previously been protests, although the bystanders were not visibly expressing dissent.[51] A protestor said police had tried to arrest him, but the crowd around him had pulled him free so he could escape.[1]

On 27 November, BBC News journalist Edward Lawrence was assaulted by Shanghai police, and detained for several hours.[52][53] Footage circulated on social media showed Lawrence being dragged to the ground in handcuffs.[54] The responding authorities stated that they arrested him "for his own good" so that he would not catch COVID-19 from the crowd.[55] The BBC News press team rebuked those claims as not a credible explanation.[52]

A mock Ürümqi Road street sign at a candlelight vigil in the United States.

A photograph appeared to show police removing the Ürümqi Road's street sign later that night.[43]

Beijing

At least 1,000 people gathered along Beijing's third ring road on 27 November to protest COVID restrictions.[56] The Beijing people chanted "We are all Shanghai people! We are all Xinjiang people!".[57] Potentially due to proximity to political power in the nation's capital city, demonstrators in Beijing debated the use of explicitly political slogans, such as calling for Xi to step down, versus more narrowly opposing severe COVID controls, as well as whether to call it a protest or a simply a vigil. Participants discussed demands that the movement could agree upon, such as an apology for the Ürümqi fire, while others worried about police infiltration of marches, since some demonstrators had already received calls from local police.[3]

On 27 November, students held a memorial at Tsinghua University in Beijing, contributing to student demonstrations taking place at over 50 university campuses throughout China.[45][38] The protest began at 11:30 when some students held up signs outside the canteen and some hundreds joined them.[58] They chanted "freedom will prevail" and sang "The Internationale".[59] A female student from Tsinghua University said over a loudspeaker: "If because we are afraid of being arrested, we don't speak, I believe our people would be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua student, I would regret this my whole life!"[60][39]

At Peking University, graffiti and banners echoed those of the Sitong bridge protest, but demonstrators did not gather until midnight local time. By 02:00, there were between one and two hundred. They sang The Internationale and chanted hesitantly. "No to COVID tests, yes to freedom!" was one of the slogans.[58]

Later that evening, some Beijing protesters gathered on both banks of the Liangma River,[57] also singing "The Internationale" and "March of the Volunteers". One remarked "do not forget those who died in the Guizhou bus crash... do not forget freedom", referring to a September incident in which a bus taking locals to a COVID-19 quarantine center crashed, killing 27 people.[61] In a confrontation between protesters and their opponents in Beijing, protesters were told not to be manipulated by foreign influences, with one protester replying "by foreign influence do you mean Marx and Engels?" and "We can't even go on foreign websites!"[62][63][64] Others in Beijing chanted slogans echoing the banners of the October Beijing Sitong Bridge protest, such as "Remove the traitor-dictator Xi Jinping!"[65]

At around 01:00 local time on 28 November, an official came to talk to the riverside protesters. At around 02:00, police marched in, and the protesters were dispersed. Police presence continued through 28 November.[57]

Wuhan

Hundreds of people protested in Wuhan on 27 November, with many destroying metal barricades that surrounded locked-down communities, overturning COVID testing tents and demanding an end to lockdowns, while some demanded Xi to resign.[66][67][1]

Hong Kong

Small-scale demonstrations took place in Hong Kong in solidarity with the protests in mainland China. On 27 November, at the University of Hong Kong, two students from the mainland distributed leaflets relating to the Ürümqi fire, prompting campus security to call in the police for assistance, but ultimately no arrests were made. Also on the university's campus the same day, a group of students held up blank pieces of paper.[68]

28 November

Police barricade on Ürümqi Road. At one point, dozens of police officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder across the end of the street.[69]

At the start of the school week, university students in Beijing and Guangzhou were sent home, with classes and final exams being moved online. Universities said they were protecting students from COVID-19, yet on the same day, China had also reported its first day-over-day decline in cases since 19 November.[70][71]

Shanghai

After two days of protests in Shanghai, police erected barricades in Ürümqi Road on 28 November.[72] Later that evening, police were out checking the phones of pedestrians in Shanghai,[70] in which they were specifically instructed to look for VPNs, Telegram, and Twitter.[73]

Protestors had planned to gather in the People's Square, but a large police presence prevented it. An attempt to change location was prevented when police also got there first.[74]

Hong Kong

Over two dozen people took part in a demonstration in central Hong Kong, also holding up blank placards.[75]

Hangzhou

On the evening of 28 November in Hangzhou, hundreds of citizens held a demonstration at the intersection of Hubin Yintai in77, demanding the authorities to release the detained protesters. Around the same time, a driver played the song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in the background while waiting for the traffic lights at the intersection near the in 77 shopping district and was cheered on by passersby.[76]

Beijing

As universities began to shutter across Beijing, nine Tsinghua University dorms were closed, with positive COVID-19 cases as the reason given. Meanwhile, as the Beijing Forestry University closed, the administration noted that no students or faculty had tested positive.[77] Heavy police presence in the capital prevented demonstrators from gathering.[73]

29 November

As on the previous day, there were crowds of police at the sites of past protests. In Shanghai, the sidewalks of Ürümqi Road were barricaded along the full length with two-meter-tall solid blue barricades. The People's Square in central Shanghai, where a protest had been planned for the night, was also heavily patrolled, with police stopping people, checking mobile phones, and asking if they had installed virtual private networks; all but one exit of the subway station there was closed off. Surveillance techniques previously used in Xinjiang were implemented in several cities.[74] University administrations responded to the rallies held the previous days by telling students that they could leave early for winter break, offering free rail and air travel to take them home.[78]

By midday, there had been at least 43 small-scale protests in 22 cities.[79]

Videos showed small-scale protests inside locked-down developments, with residents demanding to be freed.[78]

On social networks outside of the Chinese government's control, protesters planned how to track the police, use multiple mobile phones, and form small clusters in order to continue protesting.[78]

In a press conference live-streamed to a state media account on Sina Weibo, Chinese health authorities pledged a rectification of anti-COVID-19 measures. Live audience comments included “We’ve cooperated with you for three years, now it’s time to give our freedom back" and "Can you stop filtering our comments? Listen to the people, the sky won’t fall".[80]

Jinan

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed protesters struggling against police and barricades in the Lixia District of Jinan, the capital city of Shandong province. Protestors joined together in chanting "lift the lockdown" as they attempted to push their way through barricades erected to enforce local lockdowns.[73]

Guangzhou

Fresh protests arose in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou late in the evening of 29 November. Witnesses said that roughly 100 police officers converged on the district's Houjiao village and arrested at least three of the protestors. Police were wearing hazmat suits and held riot shields to protect themselves from debris as they attempted to contain the demonstration.[81] Barriers were torn down, the crowd threw objects, possibly glass bottles, and tear gas was used. Local authorities later stated that businesses would be allowed to re-open and the lockdown would be lightened. Other city districts of Guangzhou also cancelled mass testing and lightened lockdowns.[79][82]

30 November

Hundreds of government vans, SUVs, and armoured vehicles were parked along city streets; police and paramilitary forces continued to randomly check citizens' IDs and mobile phones, looking for foreign apps, photos of the protests, or other evidence that people had taken part. Online mentions of the protests continued to be deleted.[79]

Upon the death of former CCP general secretary Jiang Zemin on the same day at 12:13 local time, censors moved to restrict Weibo comments related to his death, as some Weibo users had begun to compare his presidency to the current administration, in thinly-veiled criticisms of current CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.[83] Some protesters on Telegram groups mentioned his death as an opportunity to gather in his honour and vent anger against the government's policies.[84]

Abroad

Vigil outside of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, Canada, on 27 November.
Protests in Washington, D.C. led by Chinese overseas students on 28 November.

A vigil attended by around 80 to 100 people was held on 27 November at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, in solidarity with the protests in China. Speakers included Wang Dan and Zhou Fengsuo, activists who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.[85][86]

Protests and vigils have also taken place in other cities, including Tokyo, London, Brisbane, Paris, and Amsterdam.[87] A member of esports organisation Alliance was placed under investigation after she staged a solo protest outside the Chinese embassy in Tanglin, Singapore.[88]

In the United States, the largest recipient of Chinese overseas students, vigils have taken place at a variety of universities, including Yale University, Stanford University, and Harvard University. On 29 November, vigils also took place outside Chinese diplomatic missions in the US, with approximately 400 people attending a vigil outside the Chinese consulate in New York and roughly 200 outside the Chinese consulate in Chicago.[89][90]

Censorship and resistance

The broadcasts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in China showed scenes of spectators in Qatar without COVID-19 restrictions, despite the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV cutting close-up shots of the maskless audience and replacing them with shots of the players, officials or venues.[91][92] On 22 November, a social media post, titled Ten Questions, went viral on WeChat, asking the rhetorical question of whether Qatar was "on a different planet" for having minimal COVID-19 control measures.[93] The post was shortly taken down, but not before archives could be made outside of the Chinese internet.[94] Internet censors censored the images and videos circulating on social media, but then they began circulating on Twitter, which has been blocked by the Great Firewall in China.[43] Chinese citizens spread videos and information of the protests across Chinese social media as well, often skirting around censors in creative ways. Harmless words were repeated multiple times to form sentences to express displeasure, such as "good good good good good good good good". To avoid censorship, protesters used blank papers, graffiti, and even mathematical equations to express their discontent. At the demonstration at Tsinghua University in Beijing on 27 November, Friedmann equations, cosmological expressions that estimate the rate of expansion of the universe, were used to imply, according to some observers, the inevitability of the country "opening up" just like the cosmos, while others decoded the message as a play on the physicist's surname, which is a near homophone for "free man", "freed man", or "freedom".[95][96][97] Later that evening, protesters near Liangma Bridge began to chant ironically, "I want to do COVID tests! I want to scan my health code!", stimulating Weibo users into using similar phrases to avoid censorship. Video clips of Xi Jinping's own speeches were also used in protest, with people quoting his statement "now the Chinese people are organized and aren't to be trifled with" to avoid censorship and express discontent.[97][98]

Pro-government social media commentators began portraying protesters as unwitting pawns of "Western agents", and as followers of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement. They characterized the protests as "stirring up trouble [in] the typical colour revolution way". Protesters were also condemned for "using their worst malice to agitate members of the public who don't understand their true nature — especially university students and intellectuals whose heads are stuffed with Western ideas — to join in". Government officials had avoided making any direct commentary or response to the protests.[78]

Blank paper symbolism

Blank A4-sized sheets of paper became a symbol of the protests, with protesters at Tsinghua University showing blank A4 sheets of paper to represent censorship in China.[99] Protesters have also carried white flowers, standing with paper or flowers at intersections.[69] One protester in Beijing said that she and her husband had been among the first to arrive at the riverside protest on 27 November, and hadn't been sure if any of the people in the area were protestors at first, but seeing she was carrying a blank sheet of paper, they came over and gathered with her.[57]

Chinese diaspora communities promoted the terms "white paper revolution" and "A4 revolution" on social media to describe the protests.[100] By 28 November, posts containing blank papers, harmless sentences, and Friedmann equations had been removed from Chinese social media platforms.[97][98]

Reactions

China

PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference that "On social media there are forces with ulterior motives that relate this fire with the local response to COVID-19",[101] and "We believe that with the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and support of the Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful."[102] Regarding the case of BBC News journalist Edward Lawrence being assaulted and briefly detained in Shanghai, he stated that he was aware of the situation, but claimed it was caused by Lawrence's failure to identify himself properly.[53]

Hong Kong

Hong Kong security minister Chris Tang claimed that demonstrators in solidarity with the mainland protests attempted to “incite [others] to target the central authorities”, and that the activities held were “not random” and were “highly organised”, while also claiming that some individuals who were “active in the black-clad violence in 2019” also took part in the events.[103]

Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China (Taiwan) called on the PRC to treat protestors peacefully and rationally and to gradually loosen up COVID restrictions.[104] The Democratic Progressive Party called on the government to actively listen and respond to the demands of the people.[105]

International

Countries

  •  Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his support for freedom of speech in China.[106][107]
  •  Germany: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked Chinese authorities to "respect" the freedom of protesters and that he "understand[s] why people want to voice their impatience and grievance". He said that he hoped the Chinese authorities would respect the protesters' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration, and that the protests would remain peaceful.[108] German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit suggested that the Chinese government should address its strict COVID lockdown policies by administering Western-made mRNA vaccines, which Germany and Europe had a "very good experience with" and had allowed most countries to ease COVID restrictions.[109]
  •  United Kingdom: In response to the arrest of BBC journalist Edward Lawrence, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described it as "shocking and unacceptable" and that China was moving towards "even greater authoritarianism".[110][111] British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called the incident "deeply disturbing" and it was "clear" that the people of China were "deeply unhappy" about the COVID restrictions.[112][113] Business Secretary Grant Shapps said that there was "absolutely no excuse whatsoever" for journalists covering the protests to be attacked by police.[114]
  •  United States: The Biden administration, via National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, voiced support for the protests, and that President Biden was being briefed on the situation.[115][116][117] The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said that Ambassador Nick Burns had raised concerns directly with senior Chinese officials. The embassy encouraged American citizens to keep a 14-day supply of water, food and medication for their household.[118][119][120] Numerous Republican politicians criticized the Biden administration's response as "weak" and "pitiful", and of failing to "stand up to the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people".[110] According to Politico and The New York Times, a more forceful response from the Biden administration would have given the Chinese government more reason to deflect attention away from the demands of the protesters by alleging foreign involvement in the protests.[119][115]

International organizations

  •  European Union: A European Union foreign policy spokesperson said that the EU was following the protests closely without additional comment.[121]
  •  United Nations: Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, called on Chinese authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and that protestors should not be arrested for exercising that right.[113]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Chinese: 白纸抗议
  2. ^ Chinese: 白纸革命
  3. ^ Chinese: 不自由,毋宁死!. This is the formal translation of Patrick Henry's phrase used by scholars.

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