Authorities in China started an investigation into the protests that spread over the country over the weekend, and are seeking protesters, writes Reuters.
Residents of Beijing said to Reuters that they are asked to go to the police stations to give written statements about their involvement. Others said that people are frantically deleting their chat histories.
The protest spread in Chine after the fire in a residential building in Urumqi that took ten people’s lives. It is said that restrictions are to blame, and it slowed down the response from rescuers. Authorities deny it.
China still imposes a «zero covid» policy. That slows down its economy and has an impact on global supply chains.
However, health authorities stated: «The problems highlighted by the public are not aimed at the epidemic prevention and control itself, but focus on simplifying prevention and control measures.»
On Monday night police were on the streets, and there were no further protests. Police officers were checking the phones of persons who were walking by suspected meeting points and searching for the Telegram app and VPN on the phones. Telegram is banned in China’s network, and the use of VPN is illegal.
Protests against Covid-19 restrictions grew into protesting also against Communist Party and its president. It is the biggest wave of civil disobedience since President Xi Jinping took power a decade ago.
Read also: Record Covid-19 numbers and mass protests in China