Protests erupted in Beijing, China, on Thursday (October 13) against leader Xi Jinping and China’s anti-epidemic policies. Two huge protest signs appeared on a busy overpass in the northwest of the capital.
This scene was filmed by many pedestrians and nearby residents, and many videos and photos were widely circulated on social media, but most of the content was quickly blocked by Chinese social media platforms.
Public protests directed at the top leadership are rare in China, as they often result in severe punishment, and the event is made even more sensitive by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party, a major political meeting three days later.
Footage widely circulated on social media showed two giant banners with red letters on a white background hanging on either side of the blue sign on the “Sitong Bridge”.
One banner read: “No nucleic acid, no need to eat, no ban, no freedom, no lie, no dignity, no Cultural Revolution, no reform, no leader, no vote, no slave, no citizen.”
Another short banner, with more direct criticism, called Xi a “thief of dictatorship” and demanded his resignation.
Multiple videos from different angles showed black smoke rising from the bridge and a man chanting slogans through a loudspeaker.
The protests appeared to have been quickly quelled by the authorities. Footage shows police cars and fire trucks coming to the bridge and putting out the fire. More than a dozen police officers were on the scene.
Bloomberg reporters came to Sitong Bridge after the incident and saw traces of burning on the bridge deck. The BBC team arrived at the scene at nearly 16:00 on Thursday and saw a significant increase in the deployment of nearby police.
Censorship on social media also quickly unfolded. A search of “Sitongqiao” on Weibo shows only content posted by two official accounts a year ago.
Many Chinese netizens said on Twitter and other international social media that their accounts had been blocked for sharing pictures related to the incident on WeChat and Weibo.
As the 20th National Congress approaches, the authorities are sparing no effort to publicize Xi Jinping’s exploits to pave the way for his third term, but the protests show that dissatisfaction among the people is rising under the strict “zero” epidemic prevention policy.
The whereabouts of the protester and the exact cause of the incident are not yet known, nor how he managed to hang the banner on the busy bridge.
Beijing is usually heavily guarded when major political events approach, with patrols and surveillance cameras on the streets.
Authorities have required all couriers to Beijing to undergo a “secondary security check”. Some print shops have also been asked to refuse to print petitions and other materials for petitioners, Archyde.com reported.
In China, critics of the government are often heavily censored, and when such criticism is directed at the country’s leaders, the punishment is often far more severe. In 2020, Ren Zhiqiang, a Chinese entrepreneur who had written harshly against Xi Jinping, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for corruption and bribery.
In 2018, a woman poured ink on a propaganda poster with a portrait of Xi Jinping in front of a building in Shanghai to express her dissatisfaction. She was taken away by authorities and her whereabouts are unknown.
