Rare protest against China's Xi Jinping days before Communist Party congress
By CNN's Beijing bureauUpdated: Thu, 13 Oct 2022 08:47:22 GMTSource: CNNA rare protest against Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his policies was swiftly extinguished in Beijing Thursday, just days b
By CNN's Beijing bureauUpdated: Thu, 13 Oct 2022 08:47:22 GMT
Source: CNN
A rare protest against Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his policies was swiftly extinguished in Beijing Thursday, just days before he is set to secure a third term in power at a key meeting of the ruling Communist Party.
Photos circulating on Twitter Thursday afternoon show two banners hung on an overpass of a major thoroughfare in the northwest of the Chinese capital.
"Say no to Covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom. No to lies, yes to dignity. No to cultural revolution, yes to reform. No to great leader, yes to vote. Don't be a slave, be a citizen," reads one banner.
"Go on strike, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping," reads the other.
The photos also show plumes of smoke billowing from the bridge.
CNN cannot independently verify the images, but has geolocated them to Sitongqiao, an overpass on Beijing's Third Ring Road in Haidian district.
When CNN arrived at Sitongqiao around 3.30 p.m. Thursday, no traces of the protest could be seen. Security personnel were spotted patrolling every overpass CNN drove by on the Third Ring Road.
Public protest against the top leadership is extremely rare in China, especially in the run-up to important political meetings, when authorities turn Beijing into a fortress to maintain security and stability. The twice-a-decade Communist Party national congress is the most important event on China's political calendar.
At the 20th Party Congress beginning on Sunday, Xi is widely expected to break with recent norms and extend his rule for another term, potentially paving the way for lifelong rule.
Xi, the most powerful and authoritarian Chinese leader in decades, has waged a sweeping crackdown to crush dissent, both within the party and in wider society.
His draconian zero-Covid policy has fueled growing public frustration, as rolling lockdowns upend lives and wreak havoc on the economy.
