Protests in China over 'zero Covid' policy spreads to Hong Kong

Virus might not be spreading but protests are.

Hannah Martens | November 29, 2022, 04:12 PM

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About 50 people gathered to protest in the business district of Hong Kong to show stance against China's strict "zero Covid" policy following a weekend of mass demonstrations in several cities in the mainland.

People gathered in the city's Central district at about 7:40pm (Hong Kong time) on Nov. 28, reported Bloomberg.

Some were holding blank pieces of paper, emulating the protests in the mainland against the stringent anti-virus measures, while others laid flowers on the ground to mourn the victims of the fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, that killed 10 people.

It was believed that restrictive "zero Covid" rules contributed to the deaths as their escape from the blaze could have been hindered.

Dozens of students also gathered at the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to mourn those who died in Xinjiang, according to Reuters.

Students were heard chanting, "No PCR tests but freedom!" and "Oppose dictatorship, don't be slaves!", AP news reported.

James Cai, a 29-year-old from Shanghai, attended a Hong Kong protest and told AP news: "If people in the mainland can't tolerate it anymore, then I cannot as well".

He held up a piece of white paper, a symbol of defiance against China's pervasive censorship.

Before this latest demonstrations, protests have virtually disappeared in Hong Kong after the government cracked down on any form of dissent following the national security law passed in June 2020.

The city has also prohibited gatherings for two years under its anti-virus policies.

The latest rule bans assemblies of more than 12 people, unless exempted.

Those seen gathering in Hong Kong were reportedly mindful not to violate this rule as they stood together with social distancing observed.

Some local authorities in China eased restrictions on Monday, Nov. 28, following the protests.

The city government of Beijing announced it would no longer set up gates to block access to apartment compounds where infections are found, but did not state the new measures was implemented in response to any events in particular.

Protests around the world

Reuters reported that expatriate dissidents and students also staged small-scale vigils and protests around the world, including in London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney.

About 90 people gathered at Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's busiest train stations.

In New York, students at Columbia University hung a sign on a statue for Wulumuqi Road, the street where protesters gathered in Shanghai, reported Bloomberg.

One of the organisers said the goal was to show support for the protesters in China.

Some of these protesters overseas said it was their turn to take on some of the burdens their friends and family back in mainland China are enduring.

"It's what I should do," said graduate student Chiang Seeta to Reuters.

"When I saw so many Chinese citizens and students take to the streets, my feeling is they have shouldered so much more than we have."

Chiang is one of the organisers of a demonstration that drew about 200 people in Paris on Nov. 27.

"We're now showing support for them from abroad."

Top photo via Twitter/SiuTat_Mung