Beijing Sitong Bridge protest

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Beijing Sitong Bridge protest
Part of Chinese democracy movement and protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Sitong Bridge.JPG
Sitong Bridge pictured in 2003
Date13 October 2022
Location
Sitong Bridge, Haidian District, Beijing, China

39°57′56″N 116°18′55″E / 39.96564°N 116.31517°E / 39.96564; 116.31517Coordinates: 39°57′56″N 116°18′55″E / 39.96564°N 116.31517°E / 39.96564; 116.31517
Caused byOpposition to Xi Jinping and China's zero-COVID policy
MethodsHanging banners, playing slogans on loudspeakers, burning tires to produce black smoke
StatusProtester arrested, banners and loudspeakers removed

The Beijing Sitong Bridge protest was a political protest in the People's Republic of China during the prelude to the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On the morning of 13 October 2022, a protestor demonstrated against CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's cult of personality, dictatorship, human rights violations, strengthening of censorship, seeking of leadership for life and implementation of the zero-COVID policy by hanging banners and burning tires on Sitong Bridge [zh] (Chinese: 四通桥; pinyin: Sìtōng Qiáo) in Haidian District, Beijing.

The protestor's identity is unknown, but he has been dubbed Bridge Man in reference to Tank Man.

Background

Further information: Protest and dissent in China

Protests took place frequently in China in the 2000s, with 180,000 protests taking place in 2010 according to Tsinghua University sociology professor Sun Liping.[1]

Protest

I don't want COVID-19 testing; I want to eat.
I don't want lockdown; I want freedom.
I don't want lies; I want dignity.
I don't want Cultural Revolution; I want reformation.
I don't want leaders; I want to vote.
Don't be a slave; finally become a citizen.

(不要核酸要吃饭 不要封控要自由 不要谎言要尊严
不要文革要改革 不要领袖要选票 不做奴才做公民)

Content of the left banner

Go on strike at school and work, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping!
Arise! Ye who refuse to be slaves! Oppose dictatorship. Oppose authoritarianism. Save China with one person one vote to elect the president!!!
(罢课罢工罢免独裁国贼习近平
起来不愿意做奴隶的人们！ 反独裁反专制救中国 一人一票选主席！！！)

Content of the right banner

I want to eat. I want to be free. I want to vote.
Quit studying. Quit working. Remove the dictator Xi Jinping!
(要吃饭，要自由，要选票！
罢课，罢工，罢免独裁国贼习近平！)

Content played by loudspeaker equipment

The protest was held on 13 October on Sitong Bridge by a lone protestor. The protestor was disguised as a construction worker by wearing an orange vest and a yellow helmet. The protestor placed two banners on the bridge and set fire to tyres he had brought with him. He then repeatedly chanted through a loudspeaker, "Go on strike at school and work, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping! We want to eat, we want freedom, we want to vote!"[2] He was soon arrested by security forces.[3][4]

Photos of the event spread rapidly on online social media.[5][6]

The protestor's identity is unknown, although some believe him to be an academic physicist and have flooded his Twitter account with messages of admiration.[2]

The protest banner themes included Xi Jinping's cult of personality, dictatorship and totalitarian rule, infringement of human rights, strengthening of censorship, Xi Jinping's seeking of re-election, the Cultural Revolution, the implementation of the "zero-COVID" policy, and overwork.[7][8][4][9][10]

Reactions

Anti Xi Jinping flyers in Stanford University in solidarity with the Sitong Bridge protest
Anti Xi Jinping flyers in Stanford University in solidarity with the Sitong Bridge protest

His act was described by BBC News as "one of the most significant acts of Chinese protest seen under Mr Xi's rule".[2]

In response to the protest, numerous photos circulated in Twitter of posters showing solidarity with the protester and slogans denouncing Xi Jinping from campuses of numerous universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands and South Korea.[11][12] Similar protest slogans subsequently appeared as graffiti in other cities in China[13] and via AirDrop.[14] Art celebrating his actions has also been shared online.[2]

Photographs and videos of the protest were censored by the Chinese internet censorship system.[15][16] Some individuals who reposted video or images of the protest were also arrested.[17][18] Chinese authorities censored terms which could lead people to the protest, including "Sitong Bridge" and "brave man",[19] and Bloomberg News reported that words such as "courage", "bridge" and even "Beijing" were also censored.[19][20]

References

  1. ^ "China's Spending on Internal Policing Outstrips Defense Budget". Bloomberg News. March 6, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "China congress: How one man on a bridge marred Xi Jinping's big moment". BBC News. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  3. ^ Tan, Yvette (2022-10-14). "China protest: Mystery Beijing demonstrator sparks online hunt and tributes". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  4. ^ a b "'New tank man': Rare protest in Beijing mars Xi Jinping's moment". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  5. ^ Davidson, Helen (October 14, 2022). "'We all saw it': anti-Xi Jinping protest electrifies Chinese internet". The Guardian. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Pollard, Martin Quin; Baptista, Eduardo (2022-10-14). "Rare political protest banners removed in Chinese capital". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  7. ^ "北京闹市出现反习反封控、要求民主横额". Radio Free Asia (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  8. ^ "Rare protest against China's Xi Jinping days before Communist Party congress". CNN. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  9. ^ "Anti-CCP protest and lockdown fears fuel China tensions before congress". The Guardian. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  10. ^ Pan, Jenny (2022-10-13). "Chinese police arrest bridge protestor calling for citizens to 'take down dictator Xi Jinping'". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  11. ^ "Beijing Protester's Battle Cry Sends Ripples Worldwide". The Wall Street Journal. 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  12. ^ Quinn, Jimmy (2022-10-14). "Beijing Bridge Demonstration Goes Global Ahead of Xi's Big Meeting". National Review. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  13. ^ "Anti-Xi Slogans in Rare Beijing Protest Spread Within China". Bloomberg News. October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Cheung, Rachel (October 19, 2022). "Anti-Xi Jinping Posters Are Spreading in China via AirDrop". Vice News. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  15. ^ Kang, Dake (2022-10-13). "China quashes social media about protest banners in Beijing". Associated Press. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  16. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Fu, Claire (2022-10-14). "China's Internet Censors Race to Quell Beijing Protest Chatter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  17. ^ "Shanghai police detain retired teacher who posted "Bridge Man" clips on Twitter". Radio Free Asia. October 17, 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  18. ^ "Global Propaganda on Uyghurs, 20th Congress Censorship, Brazen Transnational Repression". Freedom House. October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  19. ^ a b Antelava, Natalia (2022-10-20). "China censors 'Beijing' on Weibo, torture in Izium, and Russia is jailing its elites". Coda Media. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  20. ^ "China Censors 'Beijing' After Rare Protest in City Against Xi". Bloomberg News. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
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