Things are touching off in China with people taking to the streets to oppose yet more lockdowns as part of the Chicom’s “zero-COVID” policy. Dictator Xi Jinping had recently ordered a fresh round of confinement following outbreaks in Wuhan and other cities.
Videos of the unrest are starting to come out of the normally tightly-controlled country. Protesters are clashing with police, tearing down barricades, and gathering in sizes not seen since the Tiananmen Square massacre some 30 years ago.
Massive crowd of protesters in Beijing. About 5mi from Tiananmen Square pic.twitter.com/BPP4cQgutX
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 27, 2022
Chinese protesters in Wuhan revolting against COVID lockdowns tear down barricades
WOW.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 27, 2022
There have been reports of intense protests in Wuhan, Chengdu, and Shanghai, and Chinese authorities are beginning to organize their response. Journalists aren’t escaping their wrath. In one disturbing scene, a CNN reporter on the ground tried to get a comment from a police officer. He responded with an expletive.
Surreal night in #Beijing, #China. Protesters call for Xi Jinping to step down. CNN reporter asks Police what they are gonna do to the protesters and a Police officer tells her to "https://t.co/UHFmpXJ4IX off". pic.twitter.com/acw8sDRnuf
— Go Fund Taiwan (@GoFundTaiwan) November 27, 2022
In another instance, a BBC reporter was violently attacked, though his identity is a bit of a mystery. Hopefully, he’s alright and hasn’t been detained.
https://twitter.com/Shanghaishang10/status/1596875911457959938
Videos of armored vehicles are being shared, signaling that the crackdown is coming. The Chinese government is so powerful, that street protests likely won’t pose much of a threat to it. Their police and armed forces number in the tens of millions, and because of that, we could be on the precipice of another massacre. I certainly hope that’s not how this ends, but that’s where things are heading.
Freedom is a beautiful thing. It’s also something that typically demands sacrifice. Where this goes from here will depend on just how much Chinese citizens are willing to give up to pursue it.
