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The protests present a major challenge to China's leaders.

China Covid protests spread to major cities



China Covid protests spread to major cities
China has just recorded its highest number of daily Covid cases since the pandemic began, despite stringent measures designed to eliminate the virus.
Several major cities including the capital Beijing and southern trade hub Guangzhou are experiencing outbreaks.
Wednesday saw 31,527 cases recorded compared with an April peak of 28,000.
The numbers are still tiny for a country of 1.4 billion people and officially just over 5,200 have died since the pandemic began.
While China's zero-Covid policy has clearly saved lives, it has also dealt a punishing blow to the economy and ordinary people's lives.
Arrest journalist in China
Several hours ago, a BBC journalist covering the protest in Shanghai was arrested and detained by Chinese authorities.
The BBC has said it is extremely concerned about his treatment.
Ed Lawrence was beaten and kicked during his arrest, the BBC said. He was then handcuffed and held for several hours before being released.
A spokesperson said the attack on Lawrence while carrying out his duties as an accredited journalist was very worrying.
They said the Chinese authorities had given no credible explanation or apology for his detention.
The latest protests were sparked by the deaths of 10 people, killed when a block of flats in the north-western city of Urumqi caught fire on Thursday.
The Urumqi fire was a nightmare scenario for many Chinese who have come under widespread restrictions in recent months - locked in one's apartment with no way to escape, according to some accounts. 
Authorities have disputed this, but it has not stopped public outrage and anxiety from spreading.
It has become the latest tipping point in mounting frustration. Millions are weary of three years of movement restrictions and daily Covid tests. 
The anger has spread to all corners of China, from major cities to far-flung regions like Xinjiang and Tibet, and galvanised every part of society including young university students, factory workers, and ordinary citizens.
As this anger grows, protests against Covid measures have become an increasingly common sight.
But even this weekend's demonstrations are unusual in this new normal, both in their numbers and directness of their criticism of the government and President Xi Jinping.
It's nearing 5:30 in the morning in China's capital city. Last night, protests were seen going on late into the night.
Videos posted on social media showed large crowds on one of the main ring roads in the city.
People were filmed chanting slogans decrying China's strict Covid policies and calling for freedom. Cars passing by honked their horns.
Other videos showed some protesters standing in a row on a flyover holding blank sheets of paper - an acknowledgement of the censorship in the country.
The was a large police presence that seemed to stand largely calmly as demonstrators chanted. 
But a few hours later, videos showed reinforcements being brought in to disperse the crowd.
Hundreds protest in London
Kerry Alexandra/BBCCopyright: Kerry Alexandra/BBC
Protests in solidarity with people in China are also taking place elsewhere this evening.
In London, where it's late in the evening, several hundred people are protesting outside the Chinese embassy.
Some laid flowers and lit candles in memory of the victims who died in an apartment block fire in the western city of Urumqi earlier this week. 
Many in China have blamed strict Covid rules for their deaths, though Chinese authorities have denied this.
A man disinfects a classroom in ShanghaiImage caption: A man disinfects a classroom in Shanghai 
China is no longer imposing a national lockdown and has relaxed a number of previous measures.
However, the central government is telling local authorities to impose strict lockdowns in their areas when they detect a Covid-19 outbreak - even if only a handful of cases are found.
Here's what happens when cases are reported: 
It is one of the toughest anti-Covid regimes in the world and lockdowns last until no new infections are reported.
Tens of millions of people have been living under some kind of lockdown since the latest wave of Covid-19.
Guangzhou, a southern city of nearly 19 million people, recently ordered a five-day lockdown for Baiyun, its most populous district.
As we've told you, the current spate of protests began in response to a fire that killed 10 in Urumqi.
Here's what's been happening in Shanghai and Nanjing. 
We have seen many protesters holding up blank banners during protests in China over the weekend.
In cities including Beijing and Shanghai, protesters held up white pieces of paper and blank banners in order to express their discontent.
Blank banners are also a symbol of the censorship in the country.
Chinese society is highly censored and criticism of the government and its leaders can lead to heavy penalties.
Acts of dissent are not unusual in China. 
Over the years, sudden, local explosions of defiance have been triggered by a range of issues - from toxic pollution to illegal land grabs, or the mistreatment of a community member at the hands of the police.
But this time it's different. 
There is one subject at the forefront of Chinese people's minds, and many are increasingly fed up with it - prompting widespread pushback against the government's zero-Covid restrictions. 
This has come in the form of residents smashing down barriers designed to enforce social distancing, and now large street protests in cities and university campuses across the country.
In a way, it is hard to explain just how shocking it is to hear a crowd in Shanghai calling for China's leader Xi Jinping to resign.
It is extremely dangerous here to publicly criticise the Communist Party's general secretary. You risk being put in prison.
Tensions have been simmering in China for some time now, with swathes of the country fed up of President Xi Jinping's zero-Covid approach to handling outbreaks of coronavirus.



 














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