Beijing: They have become a symbol of the recent wave of protests against China: Media reports that blank, white sheets of paper were waved by protesters to show their opposition to anti-virus lockdowns, censorship and free speech. Videos of crowds holding sheets of paper and chanting slogans flooded the internet last weekend, reports RFA, with Chinese-language social media posts calling demonstrations in more than a dozen cities a “white paper revolution”. Is. Authorities have acted swiftly to quell the protests since then, arresting some protesters and sending university students home, in the biggest challenge to Chinese leadership in decades. Using a blank sheet of paper as a symbol of protest is nothing new. They were also used during protests in the Soviet Union during the 1990s and in recent years in Russia and Belarus, Taiwan-based Chinese blogger Zuola told Radio Free Asia.
Zuola said, “In the current climate in China, the government can forbid you to say anything.” “It’s the ultimate kind of performance art protest—by holding up a blank sheet of paper, you’re saying you have something to say, but you haven’t said it yet.”
“It’s very contagious, so everyone started holding up these blank sheets of paper to show their discontent with the social controls imposed by the Chinese government, their political environment, and their [controls on] speech,” he said.
Urumqi, the regional capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, sparked protests by public anger over a delay in the response to a deadly fire on November 24, which has been widely blamed on COVID-19 restrictions.
The incident, which left at least 10 people dead, struck a chord with millions of Chinese who endured repeated lockdowns, travel bans, quarantines and many other restrictions on their lives for nearly three years Is.
Videos circulating around the internet showing people in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities holding white pieces of paper above their heads are demanding an end to strict “zero-Covid” limits.
The RFA reported that protesters also began calling for greater freedom of expression, democratic reforms and the removal of President Xi Jinping, who is closely identified with hardline policies.