Chinese police have launched a show of force across the country in an effort to head off the wave of protests that have spread across multiple cities after the death of 10 people in a building fire in Urumqi in Xinjiang.
Much of the region had been under lockdown for more than three months, and people blamed the lockdown for the deaths.
Demonstrators demanded an end to lockdowns.
In Shanghai’s Xuhui district, people cheered and applauded as a woman shouted out:
“We want respect, not lies. We want reform, not a cultural revolution. We want a vote, not a leader. We want to be citizens, not slaves.”
A spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs said “forces with ulterior motives” were linking the fire with zero-Covid measures.
At one protest on Sunday, protesters appeared to make reference to it.
“The foreign force you talked about – are they Marx and Engels?” shouted one.
Chinese police out in force in attempt to deter Covid lockdown protests | China | The Guardian
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