Public anger in China over continued COVID-19 lockdowns has sparked rare protests in several major cities in recent days, with some protesters calling on the Communist Party to step down.
The latest protests were sparked by a fire at a high-rise apartment block in the northwestern region of Xinjiang on Thursday.
The fire, in the city of Urumqi, killed at least 10 people, and questions have been raised about whether China’s strict lockdown policy prevented residents from escaping the flames.
Officials deny that, and a fire department spokesman inspired further anger after appearing to blame residents for not being able to “rescue themselves.”
Many Chinese cities have been under strict lockdown for months: many of Urumqi’s four million residents, for example, have been unable to leave their homes for any reason since August.
In Shanghai on Saturday night, police used pepper spray on about 300 protesters who had gathered on Middle Urumqi Road with flowers and candles and signs reading “Urumqi November 24” in memory of the victims of the fire
In videos shared on social media and verified by Sky News, protesters were seen chanting slogans such as “Xi Jinping, resign, Communist Party, resign,” “Unlock Xinjiang, unblock China,” “I don’t want PCR (testing), I want freedom” and “freedom of the press”.
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A protester who gave only his last name, Zhao, told The Associated Press that one of his friends was beaten by police and two friends were pepper-sprayed.
He said police stomped on his feet as he tried to stop his friend from being taken away. He lost his shoes in the process and left the protest barefoot.
Image: Protests in Shanghai on Saturday. Image: AP
Reuters reported that it had seen a video showing Beijing residents in an unidentified part of the city marching around an open-air parking lot on Saturday, shouting “end the blockade.”
Sean Li, a Beijing resident, told Reuters that a planned lockdown of his compound was called off on Friday after residents saw workers putting up barriers at their gates.
The residents had protested to their local leader and convinced him to cancel the plans.
Read more: Beijing ‘effectively under blockade’ Lockdown frustration grows in China’s epicenter
Image: Image: AP
He said: “The Urumqi fire upset everyone in the country.
“This tragedy could have happened to any of us.”
Read more: Who are the Uyghur people and why are they facing oppression from China?
Urumqi saw protests on Friday night as a vigil for fire victims turned into a demonstration against the blockade.
People chanted “open up, open up” in the videos that were shared on social media before being removed by censors on Saturday.
But protesters won some concessions, with some parts of the city considered low-risk given a bit more freedom from restrictions over the weekend.
Protests against government policy are rare in China, but even more unusual in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang, home to China’s persecuted Uyghur minority, has seen some of the country’s longest lockdown restrictions, with reports of people dying of starvation earlier this year.
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2:40 Frustration grows as COVID-19 cases rise
China’s zero-COVID policy was initially well received by citizens, who saw it minimize deaths while other countries struggled with heavy casualties.
But support has fallen in recent months as the Chinese grow weary of restrictions that go far beyond what was seen during the UK lockdown, for example.
China is the only major country still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with massive testing and strict lockdowns.