The anger of the Chinese people is rumbling and their symbols are growing.
Blank sheets of paper, invisible signs, the national anthem and subtle puns… So many ways protesters use to escape censorship and express their opposition to the “zero-Covid” policy.
White as a sign of solidarity
In several cities, including Beijing, demonstrators waved white sheets of A4 paper in solidarity, in reference to the lack of freedom of expression in China.
Others posted white squares on their WeChat profile.
Students from the prestigious Tsinghua University took pictures of themselves showing "Friedmann's equations", named after a physicist who evokes "freed man" (free man) or "freedom" (freedom) in English.
Read alsoA fire in Xinjiang stirs anger against the “zero Covid” policy
After certain keywords and locations were blocked on search engines, absurd posts with a “positive” tone have multiplied on WeChat messenger and social network.
As of Monday morning, many of these posts and those referring to “A4 paper” had disappeared, but copies continued to spread.
Netizens have also turned to subtle puns to refer to the protests on social media with terms like "banana peel" which has the same initials in Chinese as the president's name, or "shrimp mousse" à la sound close to the word "resignation".
The irony to convey a message
Some groups of protesters very clearly called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to step down and shouted slogans such as "No to Covid tests, yes to freedom", in reference to a banner unfurled by a protester in Beijing just before the Congress of the Communist Party in October.
Read alsoCovid-19: sharp increase in the number of new cases in China, record in Beijing
Others, more cautious, commemorated with flowers and candles the ten dead in a fire in Urumqi, blamed on health restrictions in the Xinjiang region, triggering a wave of anger.
In Beijing, a crowd along the Liangma River on Sunday evening chanted: "I want to do tests for the Covid, I want to scan my QR code", relying on irony to get its message across.
Videos of Xi Jinping as well as quotes from the president have been hijacked to appear to support the protests.
"Now the Chinese people are organizing and cannot be neglected," he said in one of the videos.
songs of protest
The national anthem and the International were sung during rallies across the country, to dismantle in advance any denunciation by the authorities of a movement that would be unpatriotic or manipulated by foreigners.
A viral video, quickly taken down by censors, shows students in a college dormitory singing a Cantonese pop song by Beyond, 'Limitless Oceans, Vast Skies', which was used as a freedom anthem by many protesters pro-democracy in Hong Kong before the pandemic.
Read also Demonstrations in China: arrests, censorship, reaction from Beijing… update on the situation
Internet users have also shared memes from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, using images of players without masks to mock China's health policy.
In a viral video, since censored, World Cup fans are seen rejoicing, but the altered soundtrack plays commands like "Put on your masks!"
or “Get tested!”
".
Similar movements abroad
Abroad, Chinese students have organized similar movements, notably in North America and Europe.
In a video posted on Instagram, demonstrators sing and install in front of the Chinese consulate in Toronto a sign "Rue Urumqi", named after an artery in Shanghai where the demonstrators converged, after the fire of Urumqi.
