In China, protests over the government’s draconian Covid policies have grown, with some citizens venting their ire openly at Communist Party leaders.

Students have also demonstrated at Beijing and Nanjing universities.

The most recent upheaval follows a protest in the remote northwestern city of Urumqi, where lockdown regulations were blamed after a tower block fire claimed the lives of ten people.

While Chinese authorities denied that Covid restrictions caused the deaths, Urumqi officials issued an extraordinary apology and offered to “establish order” by phasing down the restrictions.

“Xi Jinping, resign”

People were heard loudly yelling “Xi Jinping, step down” and “Communist party, step down” during Saturday night’s protest in Shanghai, China’s largest metropolis and a worldwide financial center in the country’s east.

Others hoisted blank white flags while lighting candles and laying flowers for the Urumqi victims.

In China, where direct criticism of the government and the president can result in severe punishments, such demands are uncommon.

Analysts assert that the government appears to have grossly miscalculated the mounting unhappiness with the zero-Covid approach, a policy intrinsically linked to Xi Jinping who recently vowed there would be no deviation.

One protester in Shanghai told that he was “shocked and a little bit pleased” to see so many people on the streets, describing it as the first time he had witnessed such widespread disagreement in China.

He stated the lockdowns left him feeling “sad, angry, and helpless” and prevented him from visiting his cancer-stricken mother.

A female protester told that when police personnel was asked how they felt about the demonstrations, they replied, “the same as you.” However, she stated, “their clothes indicate that they are performing their duties.”

One demonstrator told the Associated Press that one of his friends was beaten by police on the scene, while two others were pepper-sprayed.

People gathered again on Sunday, placing flowers for the victims of the Urumqi fire near Urumqi Road in Shanghai.

However, these tributes were collected by police officers who attended the demonstration location in large numbers.

In some instances, demonstrators who led anti-government slogans were brought into custody and attacked or pushed against a police cruiser.

On Saturday, images and videos emerged online of students organizing their protests at universities in Beijing and Nanjing.

A student told AFP that hundreds of people participated in a similar demonstration at Tsinghua University in the news’s capital.

The group was seen on tape screaming pro-freedom and pro-democracy songs while holding up blank sheets of paper, a gesture that has become a symbol of defiance against Chinese censorship.

It is difficult to objectively verify the videos of the protests, but many of them display an exceptionally explicit and loud criticism of the government and its leader.

Unusual protest criticizing President Xi

According to some accounts, the Urumqi fire represented a nightmarish scenario for many Chinese who have been subject to extensive restrictions in recent months: being imprisoned in one’s flat with no way to escape. Authorities have contested this, but it has not halted the growth of popular fury and worry.

It has become the latest point of frustration escalation. Three years of movement restrictions and daily Covid testing have worn millions of people down. The fury has expanded to every corner of China, from major cities to remote regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet, and has galvanized every segment of society, including young university students, factory employees, and average citizens.

As this animosity rises, protests against COVID policies have become more frequent. But even this weekend’s protests are out of the ordinary in this new normal, both in terms of their size and their outright criticism of the government and President Xi Jinping.

A short time ago, it was inconceivable that hundreds of people would take to the streets demanding that President Xi stand down. A recent spectacular demonstration on a Beijing bridge, which surprised many, appears to have set a precedent for the expression of more open and vehement opposition.

Others have decided to wave the Chinese flag and chant the national hymn, whose revolutionary lyrics urge the people to “stand up, rise.” It is a display of patriotism that might equally be interpreted as a sharp declaration of solidarity with other Chinese citizens suffering from Mr. Xi’s zero-Covid policy – and a call to action.

The rallies are the most recent in a string of escalating demonstrations against China’s zero-Covid restrictions, which have also gotten more outspoken in their condemnation of the government and President Xi.

The zero-Covid plan is the last of its sort among the world’s major countries and is in part the result of China’s relatively low immunization rates and efforts to safeguard the elderly.

Recent violent demonstrations have occurred from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou in response to sudden lockdowns and broader Covid restrictions.

Despite the strict efforts, China’s case numbers this week reached all-time highs since the beginning of the pandemic.