Protest in Hunan:  Xi Jinping labelled ‘Dictator’

The banner, displayed on an overpass, denounces Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator” and an “authoritarian.” The message, translated by British-Chinese journalist Cindi Yu, reads: “Freedom, democracy, elections! Protest school, protest work, protest authoritarian traitor Xi Jinping!”Such acts of protest have become increasingly rare in China, where the Communist Party enforces strict control over public expression. However, since the implementation of the ‘Zero Covid’ policy, there have been sporadic demonstrations against Xi and the CPC’s governance. These protests have occasionally led to clashes with authorities, as seen in Beijing in October 2022, where similar banners appeared criticizing Xi’s leadership.

In November 2022, large-scale riots erupted in Zhengzhou and Guangzhou, with protestors clashing with police and demanding changes to the strict Covid restrictions. In Zhengzhou, workers at Foxconn’s iPhone plant protested both company policies and Xi’s regime, while Guangzhou residents voiced their discontent with the lockdown measures.

China’s history of suppressing dissent is marked by two major events: the 2008 Tibetan uprising and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. The Tibetan uprising was met with severe repression, but the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests remains infamous. In April-May 1989, millions of people in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square demanded greater freedoms. The CPC imposed martial law, deploying military forces on June 3-4 to quash the movement. Estimates of the death toll range from 200 to 10,000, with reports of severe violence against protestors.