In China, thousands of people have been protesting the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic for more than a week. The “Covid Zero” policies have limited the freedoms of the Chinese population and it is the young who have questioned the country’s leaders. They take to the streets a handful of determination to change the current political measures and another handful of justice for those who died in the fire on November 24.
A deadly fire in a building has ignited the Chinese population and intensified protests in the country. A whole young generation moves among the unemployed, millionaires or university students, since the discontent affects the different social classes.
“We are not here to challenge the Government or question the President. Most of us support the Communist Party. But we cannot get stuck in a ‘Covid Zero’ policy that is ruining many lives. We only ask that you stop using the excuse of the virus to disregard all kinds of individual rights and freedoms,” said one of the young people who demonstrated in Shanghai, quoted by El Mundo.
Much of the discontent of the population has to do with the “Covid Zero” measures of President Xi Jinping. That is, they will not be a challenge directed at the Chinese leader.
On Thursday (December 1), the 20-something protester was with friends in a bar celebrating the fact that the government had eased some restrictions and lockdowns. “Of course we are happy. In the West these small gestures may seem silly, because the ‘Covid zero’ policy continues, but for us it is a victory ”explained the young man.
City authorities lifted Covid-19 restrictions in most cities on November 30.
China continues to ease anti-covid measures after protests
Analyst Adam Minter explains that the pandemic has been very difficult for young Chinese university students. “In addition to seeing personal and professional goals disappear, they are often locked in dormitories for weeks and months. Some denounce the shortage of basic necessities, such as sanitary items, food and medical assistance. Cries for help appear frequently in the media,” says Minter.
In the protests against “Covid Zero” some well-known names emerge, such as zhang zetian , 27 years old and with an approximate fortune of 20,170 million euros. The young woman and her husband, Richard Liu Qiangdong, run a Chinese e-commerce company, JD.com.
The newspaper El Mundo highlights another young protester: a 19-year-old climate activist nicknamed the “Chinese Greta Thunberg.” how are you she gained visibility in 2019 after missing school for a week because she was protesting in front of the government building in Guilin. She with a poster she asked the population to join the strike against climate change.
Joshua WongThe 26-year-old is a familiar face from the student protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019. The young man founded a political party, Demosisto, which was banned by authorities after China passed a law striking down demands by those fighting to preserve Hong Kong. autonomy from the iron control of the country.
There are many young people who fight for more freedoms and less blockades. What is at stake is not wages or land disputes; therefore, this is a fight that brought together people from various social strata.
Source: Observadora
