China tightens security after widespread COVID protests
The Chinese government has tightened security in several cities including Beijing and Shanghai. The cities have been witnessing widespread protests against Covid-19 curbs and heavy-handed treatment of citizens caught in lockdowns.
The Chinese foreign ministry also dismissed questions on the exceptionally rare demonstrations, saying they do not reflect what actually happened. There was also no official word on how many people were detained after the spontaneous demonstrations held across China.
According to media reports, police used pepper spray against protesters in Shanghai and struggled to suppress demonstrations in other cities including Beijing.
On Monday, Shanghai authorities put up barriers around the city centre area where protests took place, blocking them off from people. In Beijing, heavy police deployment was ordered at the river-front where hundreds had gathered late on Sunday night to demonstrate.
Social media footage showed heavy police presence in cities like Wuhan in central China where residents had also gathered to show solidarity to and mourn for the victims of the Urumqi fire.
Most references to the Urumqi fire or any cloaked reference to the protests were removed from China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.
