China's COVID lockdown sparks violent protests in Guangzhou as people tear down barricades

China's strict COVID-19 lockdowns fuelled public anger and some residents in Guangzhou city, which is one of the country’s biggest cities, have staged protests against the stringent rules. The videos uploaded on social media platforms have shown hundreds of protestors marching in the street and breaking the police barriers in the Haizhu district of Guangzhou. The increase in COVID- 19 cases has led to the lockdown in Guangzhou city which is a manufacturing hub in southern China.

The stringent lockdown rules have put financial pressure that has discontinued global supply chains which have slowed growth. So far, five million people have been ordered to stay home, and only one family member of each family has been allowed to go out to purchase basic necessities, as mentioned by local authorities on November 9. This order came after the densely populated city of 13 million people reported as many as 2,500 new cases within a day. According to the state media, public transport has been suspended, classes are halted, and flights to Beijing and other major cities have been canceled. 

Protests in China's Guangzhou City 

As per the media reports, the protests took place in several urban villages, mainly poorer neighbourhoods where migrant workers live and police vehicles were sent to curb the protest by the local government. In order to follow China's COVID-19 zero policy, lockdowns are showing no signs of removal even after some ease on some rules such as shortening the mandatory quarantine period for inbound travelers. Some of the biggest issues lodged by the people who are quarantined in their homes are food shortages and problems in getting timely medical treatment. Even though the two largest social media platforms are Weibo and WeChat, still we can witness some of the users posting the protests in Guangzhou City on Twitter.