Wuhan Communist chiefs praise city’s ‘heroic’ residents after plan to teach them to be grateful over coronavirus outbreak backfires
- Proposal to mount a ‘gratitude education campaign’ prompts furious backlash from people at the centre of the Covid-19 outbreak
- Party leaders shift focus on praise for city’s sacrifice after suggestion they should be grateful to Xi Jinping prompts torrent of criticism on social media
Senior Communist officials in Hubei province have praised the people of Wuhan as heroes in an apparent attempt to contain a public backlash sparked by the suggestion they should be taught to be grateful to Xi Jinping and the party over the handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Hubei party chief Ying Yong, who was appointed to his post last month, made the remarks on Sunday during a visit to frontline medical staff in the provincial capital.
“Wuhan is a city of heroes, and the Wuhan people are heroes,” he said. “[Wuhan’s people] … have shown resilience and strong will … I hereby express my sincere gratitude to the people of Wuhan and Hubei.”
Two days earlier the city’s party chief Wang Zhonglin triggered an angry backlash online after proposing an “extensive gratitude education campaign”.
Wang made the suggestion during a meeting to discuss the outbreak on Friday, according to Changjiang River Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the municipal party committee.