Large numbers of police vehicles and patrols, coupled with the network of surveillance cameras, was how Beijing authorities this Monday managed to prevent new demonstrations against restrictions to combat the covid-19 pandemic.
On Sunday night, hundreds of people, mostly between the ages of 18 and 35, staged a demonstration – something very unusual in Beijing – on the banks of the Liangma Canal, a tree-lined place where people normally walk.
In Beijing, the Sitong Bridge slogan was revived again at Liangma Bridge.#PengLifa#TheGreatTranslationMovement pic.twitter.com/O28vVyDcGp
– The Great Translation Movement 大翻译运动官方推号 (@TGTM_Official) November 27, 2022
Peacefully, the demonstrators placed A4-sized white sheets in front of them to depict censorship, sang the national anthem and repeated slogans against the restrictions imposed by China’s health authorities, which prevented them from moving freely for nearly three years.
“I followed this on social networks and wanted to come and see. Finally there is a mobilization against this health policy,” declared in a low voice, next to the channel, a 40-year-old who asked for anonymity, quoted by the French news agency AFP.
“Currently, young people are worried. The price of housing has become almost inaccessible, they do not know if they will be able to find work. These restrictions to fight covid-19 increase their frustration,” he explained.
“With all these health policies, it’s like a lid has been put on China. We’re going to be the butt of ridicule in the world, aren’t we?” he added.
On both sides of the canal, the police officers, in pairs or in groups of three, patrolled more or less every five minutes in a conspicuous manner, dressed in their dark blue uniforms. Others took up positions at the entrances of neighboring streets.
Around 20 police vehicles or vans were parked nearby, some equipped with cameras, making concentration of people almost impossible.
“I was moved by what these young people did yesterday (Sunday). They are defending their rights, I support them,” said a woman in her thirties who enjoyed the tranquility on the edge of the canal this Monday, despite the light rain and the temperature of only four degrees Celsius.
“I think they were inspired by the October event,” he noted, when an anonymous citizen hung two banners on a bridge in Beijing against the policy to fight the pandemic and Chinese President Xi Jinping, before being imprisoned shortly afterwards. arrested.
She too has reason to be frustrated: “My passport expired two years ago and the authorities are refusing to renew it for me due to health restrictions. We’re not even allowed to go abroad. But where are we going to live?”
The Chinese authorities no longer issue new passports to their citizens, except in exceptional cases, such as to visit close relatives, to continue your studies or if you are sent abroad for work by your employer.
A little further on, a young woman who came running along the canal said she had followed the previous day’s events on social media.
“It was good. It sent a signal that people are tired of restrictions that are too tight,” he declared, stretching.
“I think the government has got the message and will ease policy to give itself and everyone else a way out,” he said.
This is also what the 40-year-old said: “We see our leaders go abroad and don’t wear masks. Why do we still have to wear them here? Incomprehensible!”.
Other politically sensitive locations in Beijing, such as Tiananmen Square, were deserted on Monday. In the area, numerous police officers carried out identity checks – even on cyclists, something that is unusual.
A demonstration planned for this Monday afternoon in the Chinese capital, near the bridge where the protest banners had been placed, was also canceled due to the strong police presence.
Source: DN
