'Down with Xi': Open defiance as public protests erupt across China

Thousands were seen on Shanghai streets, even as many were bundled into police cars

China’s rare public protests opposing stringent Covid lockdowns turned political on Sunday with protestors shouting slogans against President Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party.

The wave of civil disobedience, which has included protests in cities including Beijing and Urumqi, where the fire occurred, is unprecedented in mainland China since Jinping assumed power a decade ago.

In Shanghai, China’s most populous city, residents had gathered on Saturday night at Wulumuqi Road — for a candlelight vigil that turned into a protest in the early hours of Sunday.

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