China fines former basketball star Jeremy Lin over quarantine comments

Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays for a Chinese team, was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,400) on Friday for criticising quarantine facilities. This comes as the government tries to quell demonstrations against some of the strictest anti-virus measures in the world.

Following protests this weekend in Shanghai and other places, when some demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Xi Jinping, several cities on Friday also loosened restrictions, enabling malls, supermarkets, and other businesses to reopen. The northwest city of Urumqi, where a fatal fire started the demonstrations, said that stores and other establishments will be reopening.

The Communist Party, which is currently in power, is attempting to silence criticism of the disruption and human cost of their "zero COVID" approach, which has kept millions of people inside their homes. Detained protesters had their images and recordings of the demonstrations removed from Chinese social media. In an effort to stop further demonstrations, police spread out across Shanghai, Beijing, and other cities.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Lin, who plays for the Loong Lions Basketball Club, made “inappropriate remarks about quarantine hotel-related facilities” where the team stayed Wednesday ahead of a game, the China Basketball Association announced. It said that “caused adverse effects on the league and the competition area.”

The association made no mention of Lin's statements, and his profile on the well-known Sina Weibo social media site had no evidence of them.

Before the games the next week in Zhuji, a city south of Shanghai in the Zhejiang region, Lin reportedly recorded a video complaining about the hotel workout facilities.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: