Protesters screamed as they threw glass bottles at scores of cowering hazmat-clad riot police in China last night, as demonstrators continue to defy President Xi Jinping's brutal regime and disastrous zero-Covid policies.
The sound of shouts and smashing glass pierced the air in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, as defiant and frustrated protesters clashed with riot police carrying shields.
Hundreds of police, who were seen wearing hazmat suits for the first time, advanced towards protesters before dragging them away to unknown locations.
The protests mark the most overt threat against Xi's government and his brutal Communist regime since he took power ten years ago.
Earlier on Tuesday night, locals shopping in a market watched as a steady stream of riot police officers marched in formation through the streets of Guangzhou.
The arrival of hundreds of riot police escalated tensions in the city and footage shows demonstrators throwing glass bottles at the officials in chaotic and violent scenes.
In the video, people are heard screaming and shouting in frustration at the brutal crackdown against protesters who are demonstrating against Xi's zero-Covid policy which has seen millions placed under strict lockdowns for months.
Riot police ruthlessly threw a tear gas canister towards the demonstrators in a narrow street, prompting panic among protesters who tried to run away from the fumes.
The current unrest is rare in China, where the Communist Party has a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on protests to any dictum or mandate. Still, Chinese citizens know that over the past decade, crackdowns on any dissent have grown as well, and that isn’t helping quell the current unrest as more citizens gamble that this may be the time to push for real change in their country.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, “Having protests over the same issue break out in multiple Chinese cities is almost unheard of, outside of nationalist outpourings, such as anti-Japanese protests.”
No comments:
Post a Comment