Unrest in China

[WLJ]

Looks like many in China are fed up over COVID lock downs and they've hits the streets in protest. The protests are spreading and many are now openly criticizing Xi Jinping and in some cases calling for his removal and even that of the communist party. Just mere criticism of him or the party can get you thrown into prison.
Now occurring in many major cities.

Developing story, stay tune. Could get hairy over there.

Live updates at the link

Live China Covid protests spread to major cities
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63776816

[WLJ]

They're saying the trigger was a apartment building fire in Urumqi  in which they say many were killed due to people being locked in their apartments they say due to COVID lock downs.

[Andiron]

A Chinese civil war.   That's straight up "may you live in interesting times"

[French G.]

Yeah, how'd that work out for Hong Kong? Or Tianamen square?  If things get really bad it's time to invade Taiwan and any other island nations over there that get uppity. Keep the young men busy and be a dandy mechanism to really crack down.

[charby]

Well, there goes the price of gas shooting up. Probably a lot more things.

Let's go Xi!

[Pb]

I've heard that the Chicoms spend more money on internal security than their military.  The Chinese civilians have no guns.  They have no chance.

[Perd Hapley]

Can we send Biden over there to unify them? Please?

[K Frame]

Well, there goes the price of gas shooting up. Probably a lot more things.

Let's go Xi!

Maybe not. Oil is responding as if this is a threat to stability of China's demand, which is causing the price to drop. China is an oil consumer, not a producer.

[WLJ]

Guess the protests are by extreme far right MAGA facists
Any of this look familiar?

BBC News has seen examples of some images with lists of demands being sent around social media. Some of the demands include calls to:
   
Abolish pandemic monitoring measures such as mandatory mass testing and digital health codes for work and travel
   
Reverse the policy of closing schools, restaurants, shops or other businesses in the name of preventing Covid spreading
   
Correctly publicize the danger of the virus "without exaggeration or alarmist talk"
   
Apologise for "unreasonable" and "unscientific" epidemic prevention strategies
   
Investigate and prosecute local government officials, testing companies and others involved in Covid restrictions over allegations of corruption, negligence and abuse of power

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-63776816?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6384a40ce7e8f473cfbfbd48%26What%20demands%20are%20circulating%20on%20social%20media%3F%262022-11-28T13%3A40%3A41.832Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:acde25ba-2c3f-4c2f-a743-f83bc42737e5&pinned_post_asset_id=6384a40ce7e8f473cfbfbd48&pinned_post_type=share

[charby]

Maybe not. Oil is responding as if this is a threat to stability of China's demand, which is causing the price to drop. China is an oil consumer, not a producer.

I was thinking just social unrest and Chinese military possibly being activated.

[MechAg94]

Mrgunsngear was posting updates.  Someone posted video of Chinese armor on the move.  Supposedly they were being pre-positioned outside major protest areas.

[RocketMan]

I expect the CCP will quash the protests fairly soon.  Once they get tired of the bad press, the goon squads will go to work.

[MechAg94]

The only way I can imagine a change happening is if the military or other group gets fed up and breaks with the Govt.  Hopefully, whatever happens will not involve a bunch of new casualties. 

[WLJ]

China blinked
Almost shocked

Dozens of districts in Shanghai and Guangzhou, cities that have seen rising cases, were released from lockdown measures on Thursday.

The country's vice-premier also announced that the country was facing a "new situation".

Or rather the virus blinked. SPIN!

It comes as one of China's most senior pandemic officials, vice-premier Sun Chunlan, said the virus' ability to cause disease was weakening.

So the virus suddenly got weaker 

China signals ease in Covid policy after mass protests
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63805188

[MechAg94]

Honestly, I see few if any talking about COVID deaths anymore.  At some point (in 2021?), they switched over to tracking "cases" instead. 

[WLJ]

Honestly, I see few if any talking about COVID deaths anymore.  At some point (in 2021?), they switched over to tracking "cases" instead.

Jan 20 2021.

[Lennyjoe]

Unrest because of stuff like this:  https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1598344121176948742?s=61&t=gUVYO13tJTUiAePE8UVFYQ

Try that here at home and it may not bode well….

[sumpnz]

Not that I doubt that the CCP would do exactly that, but that’s also the exact thing they’d want to prevent getting in the wild.  It looks kinda staged.

[WLJ]

Gee, thanks Apple

    Protests in China have attracted international attention as the greatest challenge of President Xi Jinping’s premiership and a major knock to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) longstanding authority.

    But their spread within China was partially hobbled by a key change in Apple’s AirDrop feature, launched just weeks before the unrest.

    AirDrop, which allows users to share content between Apple devices, has become an important tool in protestors’ efforts to circumvent authoritarian censorship regimes over recent years.
    […]
    However, it was limited earlier this month, when a Nov. 9 update to Apple’s global operating system, iOS 16.1.1, included an additional AirDrop feature applying only to iPhones sold in mainland China.

Apple’s CEO was eager to answer reporter’s questions about China & protests (JUST KIDDING!)
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2022/12/02/john-haywards-thread-exposes-the-elites-endgame-with-evs-and-its-not-about-saving-the-planet/