Unrest in China as masses protest zero-covid lockdowns

In October, Tibetans protested strict and unjust COVID lockdowns and now similar protests are erupting across China, with protestors criticising the Chinese government and demanding freedom. While these protests are focused on China’s ‘zero-COVID’ policy they are also an expression of dissatisfaction and anger at the Chinese government, in particular Xi Jinping.

ATC Calls On Australia to urge China to respect people’s right to hold peaceful protests.

“We ask the Australian Government to urge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to exercise restraint and not arbitrarily detain the demonstrators and act in line with international human rights law,” said Australia Tibet Council Executive Officer, Zoe Bedford.

“People should be allowed the right to assemble and to peacefully protest policies or laws that they take issue with.”

The US, the UK, and Germany are among several countries who expressed support to protesters in China as they protested for democracy and freedom from the COVID-19-related clampdowns under Beijing’s years-long zero COVID strategy.

The scale of civil disobedience is encouraging, with people getting out in the streets to protest an apartment block fire in Urumqi in a Uyghur area (CH: Xingang) which sadly resulted in the deaths of 10 people. But is not only Tibetans and Uyghurs who are protesting now. In Shanghai, late on Saturday night protestors gathered in their thousands calling for the removal of the Communist party and President Xi Jinping chanting: “Communist party! Step down! Xi Jinping! Step down!”

China has been using its ‘zero-COVID’ policy and lockdowns as collective punishment against Tibetans, Uyghurs and others across China.

In October 2022, brave Tibetans – at great personal risk – exposed via WeChat videos that Chinese authorities in Lhasa were forcibly taking Tibetans who tested negative for COVID-19 to so-called ‘isolation centres’. However, the Chinese authorities placed Tibetans in large rooms, restricting them from leaving but offering no protection against COVID transmission, all the while providing only rotten food, leftover food and fast food to COVID-19 patients.

On 26 October, Tibetans protested in Lhasa against the Chinese authorities for their zero-COVID policy – which has ironically exacerbated the spread of the disease, caused deaths in isolation and is largely about control over Tibet rather than stopping COVID.

https://savetibet.org/covid-in-tibet/

(L to R) Dr. Zoe Bedford, ATC Executive Officer; Tenzin Phuntsok Doring, MP Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Kalsang Tsering, President Tibetan Communties of Australia doing an #a4revolution blank paper protest infront of the Chinese embassy in Canberra.

China is attempting to censor the protests and are promoting a narrative that the protestors are being incited by ‘the West’. However, the scale of the protests cannot be denied.

This could be the start of mass civil disobedience across China. The protests have now spread across China, in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou, with protests growing bolder everyday.

It is important to remain hopeful – as protestors demand freedom and the protestors demand their fellow citizens to “Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves” – that this movement will grow and spread and lead to positive change in China and Tibet.

Australia should uphold its values and remind Chinese authorities to uphold international human rights laws and not crackdown on the citizens protesting against Xi Jinping’s regime.

This could be the start of mass civil disobedience across China. The protests have now spread across China, in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou, with protests growing bolder everyday.

It is important to remain hopeful – as protestors demand freedom and the protestors demand their fellow citizens to “Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves” – that this movement will grow and spread and lead to positive change in China and Tibet.

Australia should uphold its values and remind Chinese authorities to uphold international human rights laws and not crackdown on the citizens protesting against Xi Jinping’s regime.

Ongoing lockdown

Tibet is one of the most restricted countries in the world and its capital Lhasa has been in lockdown for more than two months as part of the government’s ‘zero-COVID’ policy. Video footage has emerged in recent weeks showing hundreds of people taking part in public demonstrations believed to be the first since 2008.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the continuing political lockdown of Tibet and the use of COVID restrictions to further control Tibetans in occupied Tibet. We call on Australia to urge China to respect people’s right to peaceful protest,” said ATC director Sonam Paljor.