A protester evades heavy surveillance, lights a fire on a bridge and unfurls restrictions against restrictions and calls for the overthrow of dictator Xi Jinping
Despite Beijing’s armor against the XX Congress of the Communist Party, which begins on Sunday, a protest has managed to skip all surveillance, triggering a minor incident this Thursday. Apart from the low seriousness of the events, which consisted only of showing two banners and lighting a fire. Remarkably, the protester has had time to do so without first being arrested by the police, who have doubled their patrols on the eve of the political conclave.
As can be seen from the photos and videos that have jumped to western social networks, the protest took place on the Siton Bridge over the Third Ring Road, northwest of the city in the Haidian district and near People’s University. The demonstrator managed to hang two banners on this viaduct. ‘You don’t need PCR tests, you have to eat. You don’t have to be locked up, but freedom. No more lies, freedom. You don’t need a Cultural Revolution, you need reforms. You don’t need a leader, you need votes. And you don’t have to be a slave, but a citizen,” one of them read. In the other, he called for a “strike to overthrow the dictator and thief Xi Jinping.”
Due to the smoke from the fire, traffic on the road was closed and the first impression is that the protester could have set himself on fire, as has happened on other occasions in China. But given another shot taken from a higher angle, it appears that the police have arrested a person who put him in a patrol car.
At this point, it’s all speculation waiting for more information, but the regime’s internet censorship has already started working, obliterating the search for words like “hanging banners” and even the name of the bridge where the event took place.
While it is an isolated and unusual event, it is just a small sample of the growing discomfort that is prevalent in much of Chinese society as a result of the Covid 0 policies. As the rest of the world returns to normal, the regime restrictions seriously harm not only the economy, but also the social life and mental health of many Chinese.
Given the plethora of security cameras and police patrols monitoring Beijing, the most remarkable thing is that the protester was able to unfold the banners and burn some objects on the public road. This protest is reminiscent of the protest that took place just before the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when banners calling for ‘Free Tibet’ appeared on lampposts on a ring road.
But then there weren’t as many surveillance or control mechanisms as there are now. Although the police presence was increased to prevent anything from spoiling the XX Congress of the Communist Party, in which Xi Jinping will remain in power, some posters and a small fire have started to spoil the party.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
