Images that make people react in China. While the entire country continues to live under intense restrictions linked to the “Zero Covid” policy applied with an iron fist by the authorities, the Chinese were able to attend the broadcasts of the World Cup matches in Qatar where the virus appears to be absent, given the atmosphere in the stands.
Enough to fuel the incomprehension and anger of the population, already expressed on numerous occasions, while unprecedented demonstrations against the health policy of the Beijing regime have brought together hundreds of people since Sunday in various cities of the country.
During the broadcast of the opening match Qatar-Ecuador on November 20, many netizens expressed their dismay on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, at the images of thousands of fans without masks present in the Al Beyt stadium.
“The rest of the world is back to normal”
“Why don’t you wear masks?” “Have you had a Covid test before?” Several users were able to write, reports Numerama in an international press review on the subject.
Another netizen, also broadcast by Numerama, went so far as to criticize the Chinese government’s policy: “The World Cup in Qatar tells us that the rest of the world has returned to normal. It is not feasible for us to maintain this state.” of to close [“enfermement” ou “isolement”, NDLR].
An open letter posted on WeChat, the online messaging equivalent of WhatsApp or Messenger, asked if China was “on the same planet” as Qatar. Going viral, it was quickly removed and the user’s account was suspended.
Matches broadcast without zooming in on the fans
Since the broadcast of this first match, the antenna of the official Chinese television channel specializing in sports, CCTV 5, has decided to modify the broadcast of the World Cup matches. Now remove all the shots that show supporters without masks in a tight plan, as several journalists have pointed out, including Antoine Morel, France 24 correspondent in Shanghai.
“On the first goal of the French team, on the left, in CCTV images, (…) no shot of spectators celebrating the goal, only Deschamps talking to his players and a deflected shot. While on the right, in TF1, we can clearly see the cutting plans”, writes the journalist.
People residing in China can, however, turn to other channels to watch the games live with versions that show viewers more closely, in particular on Douyin, the equivalent of TikTok.
Source: BFM TV
