Protests against China’s restrictive COVID-19 policies have reportedly spread to more cities.
The wave of protests was triggered by a deadly fire in the western Xinjiang region that has been connected to the country’s strict lockdown policies.
According to AFP news agency, hundreds of students from Beijing’s Tsinghua University rallied at their campus on Sunday calling for an end to lockdowns.
Similar protests occurred overnight in Shanghai, China’s most populous city and financial hub, as well as at a university in the eastern city of Nanjing.
Internet users say the 10 people who died in a fire in an apartment building in Xinjiang’s capital city, Urumqi wouldn’t have lost their lives if there was no lockdown.
They say residents of the high-rise building could not escape in time because the building was partially locked down. But the city officials have dismissed the claim.
One protestor in Shanghai who gave only his family name, Zhao, told AP that one of his friends was beaten by police and two friends were pepper-sprayed.
He also claimed that police stomped his feet as he tried to stop them from taking his friend away.
Zhao said he lost his shoes in the process and left the protest barefoot.
He also said the protesters yelled slogans, including “Xi Jinping, step down; Communist Party, step down”, “Unlock Xinjiang, unlock China”, “do not want PCR [tests], want freedom” and “press freedom”. | Al Jazeera