'Step down, Xi': Protests erupt across China after 10 died in fire amid strict Covid rules

In an unusual act of rebellion against the strict and expensive zero-Covid policy in China, demonstrations erupted across the nation, spreading to universities and in Shanghai, where large crowds shouted, "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!", CNN reported. As China is experiencing an uprising due to the ongoing lockdown restrictions, on Saturday night, protests over harsh COVID-19 policy broke out in Shanghai, China. Further, videos of protesters yelling against limitations put in place by the Chinese government to stop the spread of COVID-19 disease have surfaced on social media. 

These protests emerged after ten people lost their lives and nine more were wounded in an apartment fire in Urumqi. This fatal incident took place on Thursday when a fire broke out at an apartment building in Xinjiang, the country's far western province. As per a CNN report, a video that appeared to show lockdown procedures delaying firemen from reaching the victims seems to have exacerbated the anger which led to protests. 

Protests erupted across China over the strict Zero-Covid policy

Notably, Chinese residents protested in the streets in huge numbers against the strict COVID-19 regulation, ANI reported. Protesters could be heard yelling requests for Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party to "step down" in various footage that CNN reviewed. 

In several footages, individuals can be seen waving signs in opposition to Beijing's unusually strict pandemic restrictions while singing the national anthem of China and The Internationale, a standard of the communist struggle, CNN reported.  

Videos that have gone viral on Chinese social media revealed hundreds of people laying candles to honor the victims of the Xinjiang fire on Saturday in downtown Shanghai. Later, the gathering screamed, "Need human rights, need freedom," while holding up white pieces of paper in what is often a symbolic protest against censorship. 

According to the BBC report, people may be seen in Urumqi confronting police, crashing through a fence, and yelling "end the Covid lockdown." It is pertinent to mention that in spite of a strict zero-Covid policy, infections have reached unprecedented highs in China. Officials in Urumqi have now pledged to gradually remove the restrictions, though they disagree that they prevented anybody from fleeing the fire on Thursday. 

COVID cases in China

Meanwhile, China surpassed its daily infection record on Friday, November 25, recording a high number of COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row. Approximately 35,909 COVID-19 cases were reported, including 31,504 local asymptomatic cases and 3,405 locally transmitted cases, according to the official news source Xinhua. The imported instances were not included in the most recent total. On Friday, there were no further COVID-19 fatalities, bringing the total to 5,232.

(Image: Twitter/ @oswaldosrm)