Protests in China against government’s strict Covid measures have intensified, with some people publicly venting their anger at the Communist Party leaders. Thousands of protesters have turned out in Shanghai, where the BBC has seen people bundled into police cars.
Students have also demonstrated at universities in Beijing and Nanjing.
The latest unrest follows a protest in the remote north-west city of Urumqi, where lockdown rules were blamed after 10 people died in a tower block fire.
While Chinese authorities deny that Covid restrictions caused the deaths, officials in Urumqi did issue an unusual apology late on Friday, and pledged to “restore order” by phasing out restrictions. During Saturday night’s protest in Shanghai – China’s biggest city and a global financial hub in the east of the country – people were heard openly shouting slogans such as “Xi Jinping, step down” and “Communist party, step down”.
Some held blank white banners, while other lit candles and laid flowers for the victims in Urumqi.
Credit: bbc.com
