Protests have erupted across the country almost three years after the start of the Pandemic. Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in a number of cities and towns to mourn the lives lost in an apartment fire in Urumqi and to demand that the government roll back its strict policies.
It's amazing. At a time when the Chinese government is better at monitoring and suppressing dissent, this is the largest grassroots protest in China in decades.
Videos of these protests have been shared in real time on both Chinese and American platforms, even though the latter are technically blocked in the country. The protests have been reduced to the most sensational clips in the past due to discussions among foreigners.
There is more to the reality. Different people want different things. Some want to abolish the zero-covid policies while others call for a change of leadership.
I talked to two people who went to the protests in order to understand why they went and what made them nervous about going again. They want us to use only their names to avoid political retribution.
He told me that he wanted to let people know that he was unhappy. He said that not everyone can silently suffer from your actions. I don't think so.
The protesters were chanting slogans like "Say no to covid tests, yes to food" in the hour that he was there. There was a protest by a Chinese citizen prior to the party congress meeting in China.
His slogans have been heard and seen throughout China over the past week. China needs to relax its strict pandemic control measures because they don't reflect a scientific understanding of the virus.
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