A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist was allegedly arrested and physically assaulted by Chinese authorities while covering the ongoing protest in Shanghai.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing mass anti-Covid restrictions protests across China, the BBC has expressed concern about the treatment of its journalist, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering a similar ongoing protest in Shanghai.
The BBC expressed concern in a statement about reports that its journalist in China, Ed Lawrence, was beaten and kicked by police while being arrested.
“The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” BBC stated.
The BBC expressed concern that one of their accredited journalists was attacked in this manner while performing his official duties.
“We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught Covid from the crowd. We do not consider this a credible explanation,” the statement added
Meanwhile, massive protests continue in many Chinese cities. Protesters are even heard chanting in an unprecedented show of defiance against the zero-Covid policy “Step aside, Xi Jinping! Step aside, Communist Party” according to the report.
This large-scale protest appears to have been sparked by an apartment building fire in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, which killed at least ten people on Thursday and served as a catalyst for intense public outrage.
According to media reports, much of the protest began when videos emerged suggesting that lockdown measures were preventing firefighters from reaching the victims.
People reportedly gathered from the capital Beijing to the financial hub of Shanghai to mourn the victims of the Xinjiang fire, while also protesting zero-Covid policies.
By Sunday evening, dozens of university campuses had seen protests or protest posters. Protests also spread to Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Wuhan, where residents demanded not only an end to Covid restrictions, but also an end to all restrictions.
Students gathered on a square at Tsinghua University in Beijing’s capital city to protest zero-Covid.
Social media videos and images show students holding up sheets of white paper and shouting: “Democracy and rule of law! Freedom of expression!”
Following mass anti-lockdown protests in Urumqi on Friday, residents in locked-down neighbourhoods tore down barriers and took to the streets, according to a report.
Such widespread displays of rage and defiance are uncommon in China, where the ruling Communist Party actively suppresses all forms of dissent. However, the recent increase in COVID restrictions, which have long been despised across the country, has brought things to a head.