Residents of the regional capital Lhasa have been forced to stay indoors for nearly three months to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, traffic in and out of the region is not possible. The British broadcaster BBC reports that most of the protesters are ethnic Han Chinese who have come to Tibet as migrant workers. In a video, the demonstrators carry signs that read ‘we just want to go home’.
Criticism of the zero-covid policy is rare in authoritarian China. Still, there are occasional protests against the strict approach of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. For example, on the eve of the Party Congress, unknown demonstrators put up a banner in Beijing: ‘Say no to the covid test, we want to eat. No to lockdowns, we want freedom.’ When some 50 million Chinese were in lockdown across the country in March, social media complained about the lack of food and freedom.
‘Eighty days of lockdown’
Footage of the unrest in Tibet does not reach the general public in China. The government removed photos and videos from Chinese social media. Xi’s government has not responded to the protests, nor is it covered in state media. Local officials reported as many as eight new corona infections in Lhasa on Thursday, the BBC said.
The images that are now being distributed come via international (social) media. US news channel Radio Free Asia writes that protesters in Lhasa are warning police that they would “set a fire” if the covid restrictions are not lifted.
A Lhasa resident told the BBC she has been in lockdown for nearly 80 days. She also confirmed that workers from other parts of China are not allowed to go home. ‘People are locked up at home every day. Life is so hard. Prices in Lhasa are high and landlords demand their money’
Desperate social media posts
The British broadcaster also translated and published desperate messages people posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. “We haven’t had any income for three months, but expenses haven’t gone down yet. My friends in Lhasa, how long can you keep it up?’, reads a message.
The last major protests in Tibet took place in 2008. Protesters then resisted the Chinese government’s persecution of Tibetans for months. In violent clashes with Chinese security forces, 23 people were killed and hundreds were injured, according to China. The Tibetan government-in-exile disputed those figures, reporting itself that more than 200 Tibetans have been killed.
Tibet has been an autonomous region in southwestern China since 1951, although the government-in-exile and human rights organizations continue to advocate for independence. In addition, Beijing is regularly accused of political and religious repression against Tibetans. Chinese authorities deny the allegations.