What moves young Chinese to confront the regime in their country?
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(CNN) --
For the first time in decades, thousands of people have defied Chinese authorities to protest at universities and on the streets of major cities, demanding to be released not only from relentless Covid testing and lockdowns, but also of the strict censorship and tighter control of the Communist Party over all aspects of life.
Across the country, “I want freedom” has become the rallying cry of a wave of protests led mainly by the younger generation, some too young to have engaged in previous acts of open dissent against the government.
Cruel repression in China.
See the shocking images of the protests 0:55
"Give me freedom or give me death!" Crowds in several cities chanted, according to videos circulating online, as vigils to commemorate the death of at least 10 people in a fire in Xinjiang turned into political rallies.
Twitter searches on China protests lead to spam and pornography
Videos circulating online appear to suggest China's strict zero-Covid policy initially prevented emergency workers from accessing the scene, angering residents across the country who have endured three years of variable Covid checks.
Some protesters chanted for free speech, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and other political demands in cities from the eastern financial center of Shanghai to the capital Beijing, the southern metropolis of Guangzhou and Chengdu in the west. .
CNN has so far verified 20 demonstrations that took place in 15 Chinese cities.
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While protests in various parts of China appear to have largely dispersed peacefully over the weekend, some met with a stronger response from the authorities, and security has been tightened in cities across a country where authorities have law enforcement capabilities. Powerful security and surveillance.
Shanghai residents held a candlelight vigil to mourn the victims of the Xinjiang fire on November 26.
In Beijing, a heavy police presence was evident on Monday night, a day after protests broke out there.
Police vehicles, many parked with their lights on, lined eerily quiet streets in parts of the capital, including near Liangmaqiao in the city's central Chaoyang district, where large crowds of protesters gathered Sunday night. .
Asked on Monday whether "the widespread display of anger and frustration" seen across the country could prompt China to move away from its zero-Covid approach, a Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed suggestions of dissent.
"What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened," said spokesman Zhao Lijian, adding that authorities had been "making adjustments" to their covid policies based on "realities on the ground."
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"We believe that with the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people, our fight against Covid-19 will be successful," he said.
In a symbolic protest against increasingly strict censorship, young protesters across China held up sheets of white paper, a metaphor for the countless critical posts, news articles and open social media accounts that have been wiped off the internet.
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“I believe that in a just society, no one should be criminalized for their speech.
There should not be a single voice in our society, we need a variety of voices," a Beijing protester told CNN in the early hours of Monday as he marched through the city's third ring road carrying a thin stack of white A4 paper.
"I hope that in the future I will no longer hold a blank piece of paper for what I really want to express," said the protester, who CNN is not naming due to concerns about repercussions for speaking out.
On Monday, the United Nations urged the Chinese authorities to guarantee people's "right to peaceful protest," the secretary-general's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said at a daily briefing.
The United States echoed the sentiment.
During a briefing on Monday, John Kirby, communications coordinator for the National Security Council, repeatedly reiterated the administration's policy that “individuals must be allowed the right to peacefully assemble and protest against policies or laws or dictate what they disagree with."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticized China on Monday, saying that "instead of listening to the protests of its people, the Chinese government has chosen to crack down further, including attacking a BBC journalist."
He was referring to the arrest on Sunday of Edward Lawrence by police in Shanghai.
The journalist was covering the protest in the city and has since been released, according to the BBC.
Over the weekend, censors moved quickly to delete videos and photos of protests from the internet in China, though the startling images made headlines around the world.
In online comments, Chinese state media did not mention the protests, instead focusing on the strengths of Beijing's anti-Covid policies, emphasizing that they were "scientific and effective."
What triggered the protests in China?
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But for many protesters, the demonstrations are about much more than covid: They are bringing together many liberal-minded young people whose attempts to speak out could be thwarted by strict online censorship.
A Shanghai resident in his 20s who participated in the candlelight vigil in the early hours of Sunday said they were greeted by other young men holding white papers, flowers and shouting "I want freedom" as they walked towards the makeshift memorial.
“My friends and I have experienced the Shanghai lockdown, and the so-called 'iron fist' (of the state) has fallen on all of us,” they told CNN, “That night, I felt like I could finally do something.
I couldn't stay still, I had to go."
They broke into silent tears in the crowd as the chants demanding freedom grew louder.
“At that moment, I felt that I am not alone,” they said.
"I realized that I'm not the only one who thinks so."
political dissent
In some cases, the protests have taken on an even more defiant tone and have openly called for political change.
During the first night of the demonstrations in Shanghai, a crowd chanted “Resign, Xi Jinping!
Withdraw, Communist Party!”, in an unprecedented direct challenge to the top leader.
On Sunday night, some protesters again chanted for the removal of Xi.
In Chengdu, the protesters did not name Xi, but his message was hard to miss.
"Opposition to the dictatorship!" chanted hundreds of people packing the bustling riverbanks in a popular shopping and food district on Sunday night, according to videos and a participant.
“We do not want rulers for life.
We don't want emperors!"
they shouted in a thinly veiled reference to the Chinese leader, who last month began a third rule-breaking term.
According to the participant, the crowd also protested against revisions to the party's charter and state constitution, which allowed Xi to further consolidate his grip on power and remove presidential term limits.
Protesters in Chengdu held a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Xinjiang fire on November 27.
As in Shanghai, the gathering began as a small candlelight vigil for the people who died in the Urumqi fire on Thursday.
But as more people gathered, the vigil became a louder arena for airing political grievances.
“Everyone started to shout these slogans very naturally,” said the participant.
“It is very rare that we have a large-scale gathering and demonstration.
The words of mourning did not feel enough and we had to shout out some words that we want to say.
For her, the experience of suffocating censorship inevitably feeds the desire for "institutional and spiritual freedom", and mourning for the victims and the demand for democracy and freedom are two "inseparable" things.
“We all know that the reason we have to continue to undergo covid lockdowns and tests is that this is a political move, not a scientific and logical epidemic prevention response,” he said.
“That is why we have more political demands in addition to lifting the lockdowns.”
Watch the historic protests in China calling for the resignation of Xi Jinping 2:46
The Chengdu protester said she was encouraged by the wave of protests sweeping the country.
“It turns out that there are so many people who are wide awake,” he said.
"I feel like I can see a flash of light coming through."
CNN's Yong Xiong, Richard Roth and DJ Judd contributed to this report.
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