The protests against China’s stringent Zero-COVID policy measures have escalated to a great extent. This can be touted as one of the biggest threats to the communist regime faced in recent years. In a way to curtail the protests, the Xi Jinping administration has taken numerous measures. One such measure is the excessive use of censorship. On November 28, it was reported that Chinese state television has censored FIFA World Cup games, to prevent the citizens from watching the maskless crowd.
According to The Guardian, the step comes after many visuals of the crowd enjoying the game without any social distance protocol stoked anger among Chinese citizens. China’s people complained about the apparent contrasts between the fans enjoying the game in Qatar and the millions who are stuck inside their homes due to the stringent “Zero COVID” policies. The crowds were blurred and closeups were avoided when the world cup was broadcasted by China Central Television (CCTV) amidst the rising protests in multiple cities.
FIFA comes at a turbulent time for China
The FIFA World Cup came at a very turbulent time for China. Weeks before the World Cup, President Xi Jinping secured a historic third term in power. The country has been engulfed in rising COVID-19 cases, with the virus caseload breaking new records. Beijing has defended its stringent “zero-COVID” policies asserting that the measures are necessary to “prevent overwhelming the healthcare system”.
However, thousands of protestors are protesting in multiple cities in China, chanting “step down Xi Jinping”. A4 size blank papers are being used as the symbol of the rare demonstrations all over the country. According to CNN, the trend of using blank papers has its roots in the 2020 Hong Kong demonstrations where the protestors held blank sheets of paper to protest against the Communist party’s assertive national security laws.
People across multiple cities of China are protesting against virus restrictions and they are adopting creative methods to protest in an attempt to evade censors. In Shanghai, people are assembling on the streets with blank placards, because they know if they write anything against the regime, they will be prosecuted.