BEIJING: Protest slogans against Chinese President Xi Jinping and the government’s ‘zero-Covid’ policy which had appeared on two banners in Beijing last week seems to have spread to other Chinese cities and across many universities worldwide, reports said on Tuesday.
The original slogans which criticised China’s controversial Covid-19 control policies were displayed on two banners on a bridge in northwest Beijing’s Haidian district, a university hub, in the run up to the ongoing Communist Party of China (CPC) 20th national congress.
Xi is set to secure a third-term as the country’s leader at the end of the congress.
“We want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns and controls. We want respect, not lies,” one of the banners read.
One slogan accused Xi of being a dictator.
Following last Thursday’s protest, one person was said to have been arrested – though authorities have neither confirmed the protest nor the arrest – the banners were removed and mentions of the incident were swiftly censored online.
The slogans, however, have been spotted in at least eight other Chinese cities, according to a report by Bloomberg news agency.
“The slogans have since appeared clandestinely in at least eight Chinese cities including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as Hong Kong, according to VoiceofCN,” the Bloomberg report said, citing the group.
The VoiceofCN is group of anonymous Chinese nationals who run a pro-democracy Instagram account with more than 30,000 followers, the report said.
Most of the slogans had been scribbled on the walls of public bathrooms, away from surveillance cameras.
“Bathrooms have become a key spot to express dissent, as most are shielded from the ubiquitous security cameras in China’s extensive surveillance apparatus. In one instance, graffiti that read “reject dictatorships” was seen scrawled above urinals at the China Film Archive Art Cinema in Beijing,” the Bloomberg report said.
“Similar banners have been up or slogans raised on several university campuses in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and elsewhere,” the BBC reported.
“That authorities went so far as to censor the words “bridge” and “Beijing” – as netizens across China sought more news about the protest – shows that no amount of meticulously scripted political theatre is going to erase humans’ demands for rights,” Sophie Richardson from Human Rights Watch told HT,
“And it’s been extraordinary to see solidarity gestures crop up around the world, especially on university campuses,” she said.
On similar slogans appearing in other Chinese cities, Richardson said: “Xi and the leadership want everyone to believe they enjoy widespread support. These protests clearly show the fallacy of that view.”
China’s charge d’affaires in UK summoned
Britain on Tuesday summoned China’s charge d’affaires to explain a related incident in which a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester was seen being pulled into the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England and beaten.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said on Tuesday that the protester had “illegally entered” the consulate and “jeopardised the security of the Chinese diplomatic premises”.
“The diplomatic missions of all countries have the right to take necessary measures to maintain the peace and dignity of the premises,” Wang said. “What I want to stress is that the peace and dignity of Chinese embassies and consulates abroad must not be violated.”
