ReportWire

Tag: china protest

  • BBC says Chinese police assaulted one of its journalists at Shanghai protest

    BBC says Chinese police assaulted one of its journalists at Shanghai protest

    [ad_1]

    The BBC said on Sunday that Chinese police assaulted and detained one of its journalists covering a protest in Shanghai, before later releasing him after several hours.

    “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai,” a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster said in a statement.

    “He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” the spokesperson added.

    Shanghai is one of a number of Chinese cities that has seen protests over stringent Covid restrictions, which flared in recent days following a deadly fire in the country’s far west.

    Footage on social media showed a man whom other journalists identified as Lawrence being arrested by men in police uniforms.

    The BBC said it had not been given a credible explanation for Lawrence’s detention.

    “We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught COVID from the crowd,” the BBC said.

     

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘Down with Xi Jinping’: Why Chinese protesters are holding blank sheets of paper

    ‘Down with Xi Jinping’: Why Chinese protesters are holding blank sheets of paper

    [ad_1]

    Protests in China are rare, so the current protests against the Xi government’s zero-COVID-19 policy are all the more conspicuous globally. Public discontent snowballed into public dissent after the death of 10 people in an apartment fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang. People believe that lockdown measures delayed rescue operations. Now, as protests mushroom across the country, protesters have turned to blank sheets of paper to express their anger. But what does the white blank paper stand for? 

    It’s a form of silent protest to evade censorship or arrests and is an oft-used expression. In 2020 in Hong Kong, activists held up blank sheets of paper to protest the national security law. In 2022, dissenters in Moscow held up blank sheets to protest the Russia-Ukraine war. Now, images of protesters at universities in Nanjing and Beijing have been spotted holding white sheets of paper in silent protests.

    On Saturday, a crowd gathered to hold a candlelight vigil in Shanghai for the Urumqi victims. They held up white sheets of paper. Likewise, on Sunday, protesters at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and along the 3rd Ring Road near Liangma River were spotted holding white paper sheets. 

    The candlelight vigil turned into a protest and people shouted, “Lift lockdown for Urumqi, lift lockdown for Xinjiang, lift lockdown for all of China”, while some shouted, “Down with the Chinese Communist Party, down with Xi Jinping”.

    One video that has since gone viral shows a lone woman holding a white sheet of paper before a man walks in to snatch it away. 

    One protester told Reuters that the white paper represents everything they want to say but cannot. 

    Internet users also showed solidarity by posting blank white squares or photos of themselves holding blank sheets of paper. The hashtag ‘white paper exercise’ was blocked on Weibo by Sunday morning. 

    Protests do not take place frequently in China as President Xi Jingping’s government has almost completely muzzled dissent. People are forced to take to social media to protest.

    China’s zero-COVID-19 policy, even as most of the world is trying to coexist with the virus, has left its citizens disgruntled. The city of Urumqi, where the apartment fire happened, has been under lockdown for as long as 100 days. 

    (With agency inputs)

    Also read: ‘Xi Jinping step down’: Protests flare over China’s zero-Covid policy; all you need to know

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Watch: Chinese security forces clash with Apple supplier Foxconn’s workers during protest

    Watch: Chinese security forces clash with Apple supplier Foxconn’s workers during protest

    [ad_1]

    US-based tech giant Apple’s supplier Foxconn’s flagship iPhone plant in China recently saw factory workers clash with security personnel. This protest at the world’s largest Apple iPhone factory emerged amid strict COVID-19 restrictions that have fuelled discontent among workers.

    Moreover, these strict COVID-19 restrictions also disrupted the production of new Apple iPhones ahead of Christmas and January’s Lunar New Year holiday, as many workers were either put into isolation or fled the plant.

    Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, said, ”The worker unrest at Foxconn’s plant in China could weigh on Apple’s November iPhone shipments” as concerns grow over Apple’s ability to deliver products for the busy holiday period.

    According to reports, Foxconn is set to see a reduction in November shipments as thousands of employees quit their jobs.

    However, even if one tries to shop online, wait time on Apple’s website are now up to 40 days for the new iPhone 14 Pro, which is only expected to grow over the coming weeks as more consumers try to find iPhone Pros to purchase as gifts.

    “Apple is still viewed as one of the more resilient stocks in the tech sector… However, Apple continues to hold off from providing official guidance given the macroeconomic uncertainty,” Scholar added.

    According to the reports, Foxconn’s factory in China’s Zhengzhou is the only one that makes premium iPhone models, including the iPhone 14 Pro, and it is unlikely to resume full production by the end of this month.

    In the West, many shoppers looking for Apple’s latest high-end phones returned empty-handed from its stores this Black Friday because the smartphone giant was struggling with production snafus in China.

    Dan Ives, an analyst at investment firm Wedbush, said, “iPhone shortages are accelerating and were front and centre this morning on Black Friday across many retailers, Apple Stores, and online channels.”

    Ives, while referring to Apple’s headquarters, added, ”We believe many Apple Stores now have iPhone 14 Pro shortages based on model or colour or storage of up to 25%-30% below normal heading into a typical December, which is not a good sign heading into holiday season for Cupertino.”

    (With inputs from Reuters)

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘Overthrow the dictator’: Did Beijing just witness a rare protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping?

    ‘Overthrow the dictator’: Did Beijing just witness a rare protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping?

    [ad_1]

    Just days before the key 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, a rare protest reportedly took place in China against President XI Jinping and his zero-Covid policy, the toughest in the world. On Thursday, various photos circulating on social media showed posters and banners on Sitong Bridge overpass in Beijing against the authoritarian rule of Jinping, who is set to get the record third term during the National Congress starting this Sunday, October 16. 

    The banners hanging on the bridge demanded freedom from Covid lockdowns and reforms in the country. One banner even goes to the extent of calling Xi Jinping a dictator and demands his removal. “Say no to Covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom. No to lies, yes to dignity. No to the cultural revolution, yes to reform. No to the great leader, yes to vote. Don’t be a slave, be a citizen,” reads one banner as per CNN. 

    The other says: “Go on strike, remove the dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping.” 

    Member of the European Parliament Reinhard Bütikofer also tweeted about the protest in China. He said the protest was against Xi Jinping, which is rare in China. “Protest in #Beijing against Xi Jinping personally: “Overthrow the dictator and thief of the country Xi Jinping”. “No PCR tests but foods, no lockdown but freedom, no lies but dignity, no Cultural Revolution but reforms, no figureheads but ballots. Don’t be a slave but a citizen”,” he wrote on Twitter. 

    While the social media account suggests the protest did take place in Beijing, CNN, which visited the spot on Thursday, did not find any protesters or banners on the bridge. However, it said that security personnel were on the overpass and in the vicinity. The security personnel were also spotted patrolling every overpass, according to CNN. 

    China has adopted a very strict lockdown policy to prevent any further spread of Covid. Some videos on social media show people locked up not only in their houses but in jail-like cells built to isolate infected patients. There have been videos showing people being picked up from airports and public places and locked up in enclosures. These actions of the authoritative government have irked the people who, after almost three years of restrictions, want to run a normal life. 
     

    [ad_2]

    Source link