China’s strict web censorship has gone into overdrive in response to the few public demonstrations against Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese officials are working hard to remove any traces of a rare demonstration in Beijing that featured giant posters on a flyover calling for boycotts and the ouster of Xi Jinping from office.
Following a rare public criticism of Xi Jinping, reports imply that Chinese censors have taken the drastic step of limiting the amount of time people may spend searching for “Beijing” on social media. The term “Beijing” was added to China’s Censorship blacklist, according to sources, as people are protesting the country’s harsh Covid Zero programme of lockdowns and mass testing.
On the Sitong Bridge in Beijing, two sizable banners that demanded Xi Jinping’s ouster were flown. The sign stated, “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.” Social media posts with images and videos showed smoke rising from the capital’s Haidian district’s bridge across a busy street.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said she was unaware about the demonstration during a normal press briefing in Beijing on Friday.
CENSORED WORDS IN CHINA
Chinese censorship was immediately prompted by the event when people began searching for “Sitong Bridge,” the protest’s location. According to CNN, some phrases including “Beijing,” “Haidian,” “fighter,” “brave guy,” and even “courage” were prohibited on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like site.
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