Chinese security body calls for 'crackdown' on 'hostile forces' amid protests
COVID-19 protests in China
China's top security body has called for a “crackdown” on “hostile forces” as protests continue over tough COVID-19 restrictions in the country.
The Zero Covid policy adopted by the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of President Xi Jinping has resulted in fresh lockdowns to stop the spread of the infection. However, people from various parts of China have been organising protests against the measures and the slogans raised by the protestors include calls for transparency and political freedom.
The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, a body created by the government to handle the law enforcement in China, said that it's "necessary to crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces in accordance with the law", according to the state news agency Xinhua.
The official statement said it has become crucial to "resolutely crack down on illegal criminal acts that disrupt social order in accordance with the law, and earnestly safeguard overall social stability" - a line that even the Chinese Communist Party has endorsed in the wake of the protests.
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While the dissent over the COVID-19 restrictions were brewing for quite some time now, the deadly fire in Urumqi proved to be the issue that brought the people out on the streets. The city in the northwestern part of China was already 100 days into lockdown and according to some reports, the restrictions did not allow the people in the building to escape in time as 10 people were killed.
The Chinese government has been using force to stop the protests and it has prompted responses from both the United Nations and United States who urged Beijing to respect the citizens’ right to peaceful protest.