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Coronavirus: protesters march near White House demanding ‘Free China!’
- Sunday’s march was a show of support for demonstrations in China calling for an end to severe antivirus controls and for political change
- Protests erupted November 25 after 10 people died in a fire in Urumqi, as firefighters or people trying to escape might have been blocked by antivirus controls
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About 200 protesters lit candles and shouted “Free China!” two blocks from the White House on Sunday in a show of support for demonstrations in China calling for an end to severe antivirus controls and for political change.
Protesters in Freedom Plaza held up signs saying, “No Censorship,” demanding that President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party give up power. They held up blank sheets of paper, a symbol of opposition to the party’s pervasive censorship. Some yelled, “Free China!”
The protests erupted November 25 after at least 10 people died in a fire in Urumqi, a city in China’s northwest Xinjiang region. Authorities rejected suggestions firefighters or people trying to escape might have been blocked by antivirus controls. But the disaster became a focus for public frustration with curbs that confine millions of people to their homes.
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“I did not care much about these public issues before as it did not happen to me,” said a Chinese student who would give only her surname, Liu, due to fear of retaliation.
“The Covid policy is really improper,” said Liu. “Now that I am in a country with free speech, I shall do my best when my rights can be protected.”
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Beijing closes some Covid testing booths as China enters new phase of pandemic controls
Beijing closes some Covid testing booths as China enters new phase of pandemic controls
Uygurs, Tibetans and members of other ethnic minorities that are targeted for surveillance and control by the Communist Party joined the protests.
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