Crowd denounces Communist party in standoff with Shanghai police while campus messages urge people to ‘not stay silent’ after deadly fire blamed on restrictions
Demonstrations have broken out across Chinese cities and university campuses, triggered by widespread anger at stringent Covid restrictions imposed for almost three years and outrage over a deadly fire widely blamed on lockdowns.
In an unusually bold act showing people’s desperation, a crowd in Shanghai called for the removal of the Communist party and Xi Jinping in a standoff with police on Saturday, according to videos circulated on Twitter. Chinese usually refrain from criticising the party and its leaders in public for fear of reprisals.