Several detained in Shanghai as anti-Covid lockdown protests rage in China

Police in Shanghai on Sunday (November 27) dragged and detained people who were protesting against strict coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, the news agency Reuters reported.Protesters were seen singing the national anthem as they gathered in the streets of Shanghai.

Meanwhile, the BBC said on Sunday that one of its journalists covering the protests was assaulted and detained by the Chinse police in Shanghai. He was later released after several hours.

"The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai," a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster said in a statement.

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"He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist," the spokesperson added.

Social media showed a man whom other journalists identified as Lawrence being arrested by men in police uniforms.

The BBC said it had not been given a credible explanation for Lawrence's detention.

China reported the fifth straight daily record of 40,347 new COVID-19 infections on November27, of which 3,822 were symptomatic and 36,525 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Monday.

China has been marred by rare protests against Covid measures that are part of the nation's strict zero-Covid policy. Police face the unusual task of maintaining law and order as people express anger over recent restrictions.

Demonstrators clashing with the police in Shanghai as the protests continued for a third day, further spreading to several cities. This comes after the deadly apartment fire in the country's far west.

On Thursday, a fire at a residential high-rise building in the city of Urumqi, reportedly led to the death of at least 10 people. Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang region.

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China has implemented stringent policies, including lockdowns, mass testing, etc. in order to curb the spread of the deadly virus, which was first reported in China in late 2019.

Now, nearly three years into the pandemic, the authorities in China are still imposing the zero-Covid policy that has caused frustration among people.

Besides Shanghai, protesters also took to the streets in the cities of Wuhan and Chengdu on Sunday. Peaceful vigils were held in Beijing. Meanwhile, the students on several university campuses around China demonstrated over the weekend.

(With inputs from agencies)

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