"We Want Freedom" ... Secret Protests Against Xi Jinping Spread

Protests in at Least 7 Cities Including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou
Anger Expressed by Writing Slogans Criticizing Authorities in Restrooms

On the 13th (local time), a banner with slogans criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping was hung on the Situoqiao Bridge in downtown Beijing. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] After a banner criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping was posted in Xitunqiao, the heart of Beijing, covert protests evading authorities' surveillance are spreading to other cities. Protesters are expressing their anger by writing slogans critical of the Chinese authorities in restrooms and other discreet ways.

On the 19th, Bloomberg News cited 'VoiceCN,' an Instagram account supporting Chinese democratization, reporting that protests are taking place in more than seven cities within China, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. These protests mainly involve quickly spraying slogans critical of President Xi and the Communist Party inside restrooms without CCTV coverage, then fleeing the scene. Alternatively, they distribute leaflets with phrases such as "We want freedom, no dictatorship," "Save China," and "Long live one person, one vote universal suffrage."

Earlier, on the 14th, a banner opposing President Xi's reappointment was hung in Xitunqiao, the central area of Beijing where Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University are located. The banner contained strongly critical phrases against the current Chinese regime, such as "Dictator Xi Jinping step down," "We need food, not nucleic acid (PCR) tests," "We need reform, not a Cultural Revolution," "Give us voting rights, not leaders," and "We must become citizens, not slaves."

This banner protest occurred two days before the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party, at a time when security was extremely tight. Alarmed, Chinese authorities immediately arrested the protesters and restricted searches for the protest location Xitunqiao and words like "brave man" and "courage" on social networking services (SNS).

In China, expressing opposition to President Xi and the Communist Party in public places, especially holding protests with slogans on placards, can lead to immediate arrest and imprisonment. VoiceCN stated, "We operate outside China and are not under the authorities' surveillance," adding, "Those who conduct covert protests see it as a means to express long-suppressed anger."