China protests: 7 cities where 'step down Xi Jinping' cry is getting louder

'Communist party step down', 'Xi Jinping step down' shouted protestors in cities across China amid growing anger against Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'Zero-Covid' policy.

The protests come after a deadly fire killed 10 people on Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang region. Many blamed the Covid lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts during the fire. City officials, however, denied the claims and blamed parked vehicles for stopping firefighters' access to the burning building.

The protests have spread across major cities including the capital Beijing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Wuhan in the most widespread show of opposition against the ruling party in decades.

Cities which are seeing widespread protests:

Beijing

About 2,000 students at Xi’s alma mater, Tsinghua University in Beijing, gathered to demand an easing of anti-virus controls, according to social media posts. Students shouted “freedom of speech!” and sang the Internationale, the socialist anthem, AFP reported.

It further added that in Beijing, a group of about 200 people gathered in a park on the capital’s east side and held up blank sheets of paper, a symbol of defiance against the ruling party’s pervasive censorship.

Shanghai

On Saturday, the vigil in Shanghai for victims of the apartment fire turned into a protest against COVID curbs, with the crowd chanting calls for lockdowns to be lifted.

"Down with the Chinese Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping", one large group chanted in the early hours of Sunday, according to witnesses and videos posted on social media, in a rare public protest against the country's leadership.

Urumqi

In several videos, people in Urumqui are seen confronting officials and shouting "end the Covid lockdown." Crowds there took to the street on Friday evening, chanting "End the lockdown!" and pumping their fists in the air, according to unverified videos on social media.
 
Chengdu

Large crowd gathered in Chengdu on Sunday, where they held up blank sheets of paper and chanted "We don't want lifelong rulers. We don't want emperors," a reference to Xi, who has scrapped presidential term limits.

Wuhan

Several videos on social media showed hundreds of residents take to the streets, smashing through metal barricades, overturning COVID testing tents and demanding an end to lockdowns. Some protestors shouted "It started in Wuhan, it will end in Wuhan."

Nanjing

Images and videos have surfaced online that showcase students at Nanjing holding up blank sheets of paper in silent protest, a tactic used in part to evade censorship or arrest.

Lanzhou

Residents on Saturday overturned Covid staff tents and smashed testing booths, posts on social media showed. According to protesters, they were put under lockdown even though no one had tested positive.

China, where the first case of the coronavirus was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan city, follows a "zero-Covid" strategy, which includes mass testing, strict isolation rules, travel restrictions and local lockdowns. It reported over 40,000 new infections on Sunday.

(With agency inputs)

Also Read: 'Down with Xi Jinping': Why Chinese protesters are holding blank sheets of paper