Rare protests broke out in China’s Xinjiang region, with crowds shouting at hazmat-suited guards after a deadly fire triggered anger over their prolonged Covid-19 lockdown. Nationwide Covid infections in China have set another record.
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In videos widely shared on social media, crowds chanted "End the lockdown!", as they walked down a street, Reuters reported. Another showed people in a plaza singing China's national anthem with its lyric, "Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves!" while others shouted that they wanted to be released from lockdowns.
China has put Xinjiang region under some of the country's longest lockdowns, with many of the 4 million residents barred from leaving their homes for as long as 100 days. The city reported about 100 new cases each of the past two days.
{{/usCountry}}China has put Xinjiang region under some of the country's longest lockdowns, with many of the 4 million residents barred from leaving their homes for as long as 100 days. The city reported about 100 new cases each of the past two days.
{{/usCountry}}Xinjiang is also home to 10 million Uyghurs and rights groups and Western governments have long accused Beijing of abuses against the mainly Muslim ethnic minority, including forced labour in internment camps. China strongly rejects such claims.
The protests followed a fire in a high-rise building there that killed 10 on Thursday night. Authorities have said the building's residents had been able to go downstairs owing to Covid rules.