Rare protests featuring slogans against Xi Jinping spread across the world

China is currently experiencing a wave of protests against President Xi Jinping and that has forced online censors to take note of the country’s social media. According to media reports, the protests were sparked by an individual who draped a banner sporting various slogans against the government.

While the mentions of the incident were mostly removed from Weibo and various other social media platforms in China, the phrases featured in the banner have become common keywords for other protestors. According to various reports, the banner carried by the Chinese man read - “We want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns and controls. We want respect, not lies”.

Bloomberg reported that most of the protests are being carried out both online and on the ground by a group of Chinese nationals who call themselves VoiceofCN. Apart from their posts on Instagram, the group also organised protests in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

The protests against Xi are quite rare considering the harsh punishments handed out by the Chinese judiciary when it comes to dissidents. However, over the past few days, South China Morning Post reported that the keywords - “bridge,” “courage,” and “Beijing” - are dominating social media.

With the economy slowing down due to tough COVID-19 restrictions and the Communist Party members facing corruption charges, the general public has turned against the government. The anger was already there, and it was accentuated by the upcoming elections which will see Xi increase his power.

Besides China, the protests have also spread to other countries with universities from all around the world featuring similar slogans against the Chinese authorities. According to BBC, slogans were seen in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and various other countries around Europe.