Chinese rise up against communist regime's COVID tyranny in biggest mainland protests since Tiananmen Square massacre



Protests against communist Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and his regime's draconian COVID-19 protocols erupted across China over the weekend in what has been called the "White Paper Revolution." This uprising is reportedly the biggest since 1989, when the communist regime killed thousands of Chinese in the Tiananmen Square protests.

What are the details?

Mass protests erupted in Shanghai, Beijing, and several other cities across China, condemning the communist regime's so-called "zero-COVID" policies. Chinese police have reportedly rounded up some protesters, pepper-sprayed thousands, and have altogether attempted to clamp down on the demonstrations in the authoritarian surveillance state.

The Daily Mail reported that over the weekend in Shanghai, protesters demanded that the regime "lift lockdown in Urumqi, lift lockdown for Xinjiang, lift lockdown for all of China!"

Some protesters called for Chinese dictator Xi Jinping — who extended his rule last month — to step down as well as for the CCP to relinquish power, saying, "Xi Jinping! Step down! CCP! Step down!"

\u201c\u201cTraitor #XiJinping! #XiJinping, step down! Dictatorial Government, step down! F*ck\u2026\u201d \nCrowds shouting while they gathered at #Urumqi Road in #Shanghai city today to protest against the #CCP\u2019s #ZeroCovid #lockdown.\u201d
— Jennifer Zeng \u66fe\u931a (@Jennifer Zeng \u66fe\u931a) 1669513376

Several police attempted to disappear one protester in Chongqing, who declared, "Without freedom, I would rather die!"

According to Newsweek, many protesters have taken to the streets holding blank sheets of white paper to both symbolize and denounce the Chinese regime's censorious nature, earning the movement the name "White Paper Revolution" or the "A4 revolution."

A video reportedly went viral depicting a woman at the Communication University of Nanjing holding up a blank piece of paper, which another individual then quickly took away.

A translation of one iteration of the post on Twitter stated, "Even if you hold up a blank sheet of paper, it makes them fear. It is not the power of the blank sheet of paper, but the power of awakening. Because, it is precisely because there is nothing written, so everything is written..."

\u201c\u5373\u4f7f\u4e3e\u8d77\u4e00\u5f20\u767d\u7eb8\uff0c\u4e5f\u8ba9\u5b83\u4eec\u6050\u60e7\uff0c\u4e0d\u662f\u767d\u7eb8\u7684\u529b\u91cf\uff0c\u800c\u662f\u89c9\u9192\u7684\u529b\u91cf\uff0c\u56e0\u4e3a\uff0c\u6b63\u662f\u56e0\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u90fd\u6ca1\u6709\u5199\uff0c\u6240\u4ee5\u624d\u4ec0\u4e48\u90fd\u5199\u4e86\u2026\u2026\u201d
— \u674e \u5e86 (@\u674e \u5e86) 1669473540

CNN previously underscored how open defiance of the regime is "extremely rare," particularly in a country where dissidents and perceived foes of the state are imprisoned, tortured, enslaved, and in certain cases tossed into concentration camps.

Why and why now?

After three years of COVID-19 policies and decades of murderous authoritarianism, the catalyst for the Chinese protests was a fire and a reimposition of localized lockdowns nationwide.

The new lockdowns reportedly came as a result of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, with an estimated 40,000 people catching the virus daily (in a country of over 1.4 billion people).

In certain areas of the country, the regime is constructing new detention camps for the infected. A new camp in Guangzhou, for instance, will be able to accommodate and isolate nearly 250,000 persons accused of having COVID-19.

\u201cFor the second day in a row, China has recorded an explosive increase in coronavirus infections.\n\nIn the city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, which has the largest number of cases, the construction of a quarantine center for 80,000 people has begun.\u201d
— NEXTA (@NEXTA) 1669365508

This new series of lockdowns was poorly received, particularly at the world's biggest iPhone plant in Zhengzhou, where workers staged a protest last week, partially over pay, but also over strict quarantine rules. They smashed surveillance cameras and windows and sparred with police, reported the New York Post.

Against a backdrop of tensions already boiling over and three years of punitive COVID-19 measures, the fire that set off protests in China took place in a high-rise in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province.

Residents, confined to their apartments on account of the new lockdowns and the regime's zero-COVID policy, were unable to flee when a fire spread through the building on Thursday. Quarantine protocol also hindered the efforts of first responders, who couldn't douse the flames or rescue those trapped inside the inferno in time.

At least 10 people died in the fire.

\u201cFamilies in a hi-rise in China were locked into their apartments as their building caught fire. Urumqi, in Xinjiang Province\n\nThey burned alive as they couldn't escape and no one could get to them in time \n\nThis is directly on the CCP and Xi's Zero-Covid lockdown strategy\u201d
— Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1669601782

ABC News Australia indicated that while China's COVID protocols have inadvertently resulted in multiple casualties in recent years, this particular fire constituted the straw that broke the camel's back.

\u201cRemarkable scenes across China tonight. Feels like spite against zero COVID restrictions is boiling over. Millions online blaming lockdown measures for 10 deaths in an Urumqi high-rise fire. Students chanting "long live the people" at a university in Nanjing:\u201d
— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1669493628

The regime's response

Protesters have been arrested throughout the country. Chinese police continue to increase their street presence.

\u201cJust seen police dragging random people away from the crossroads where protests first started in Shanghai. All happening now\u201d
— Leo Lord-Jones (@Leo Lord-Jones) 1669606489

Chinese police also brutalized and arrested BBC journalist Edward Lawrence, who had been reporting on the protests. The BBC indicated that Lawrence "was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest he was beaten and kicked by police."

\u201cWitnessed a BBC journalist got sieged and dragged to the ground by several cops in Shanghai earlier tonight on the Urumqi Rd. His friend said he was targeted becuz he was filming the protest. (feel free to @ his handle if you know who this journalist is ) @BBCNews @BBCNewsAsia\u201d
— Shanghaishanghai (@Shanghaishanghai) 1669559860

The AP reported that in response to the protests, some Chinese authorities had eased certain COVID-19 protocols by Monday, but there was no indication that Beijing would back down on its overarching virus mitigation strategy.

One easement announced was that Beijing's municipal government would no longer barricade and fence in apartment compounds containing persons who had been infected.

Another easement announced was that mass testing would no longer be required for all residents in Guangzhou.

While Beijing made minor efforts to address protesters' concerns, bot accounts were weaponized online to hijack the hashtags associated with the White Paper Revolution, flooding Twitter and other social media sites with adult content (i.e., pornographic images, gambling posts, ads for escorts).

Jens Monrad, a cybersecurity analyst, told Newsweek that "using a (trending) hashtag in a spam campaign potentially hides authentic content observed during a protest or event, which can move focus away from a protest or 'drown' vital information posted on social media platforms."

Although Monrad could not confirm that this campaign was state-backed, it would nevertheless be in the CCP's interest to drown out the protesters' critiques.

When asked about the anger over the regime's pandemic policy, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, "What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened. ... We believe that with the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and cooperation and support of the Chinese people, our fight against COVID-19 will be successful."

Maxine Waters vows to 'defy' Supreme Court after Roe v. Wade is overturned



U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) joined an abortion-rights protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court building Friday, where she said that women will "defy" the court after it overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

"You see this turnout here? You ain't seen nothing yet," Waters told Reuters journalists who were livestreaming from the protest. "Women are going to control their bodies no matter how they try and stop us."

"The hell with the Supreme Court! We will defy them!" she declared.

"Women will be in control of their bodies, and if they think black women are intimidated or afraid, they got another thought coming. Black women will be out in droves! We will be out by the thousands! We will be out by the millions! We're going to make sure we fight for the right to control our own bodies!"

\u201cMaxine Waters and Al Green among members of Congress who've shown up outside the Supreme Court to denounce the end of Roe. "Women are going to control their bodies, no matter how they try and stop us," Waters says. "The hell with the Supreme Court, we will defy them."\u201d
— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1656081831

In a historic 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court overturned its previous decisions in Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ending all federal protections for abortion.

"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.

The consequence of this decision is that all 50 states will individually decide how to regulate abortions. In pro-life states under Republican leadership, abortion is likely to be heavily restricted or outright banned. Indeed, thirteen GOP-led states have so-called trigger laws banning all or most abortions, which can now go into effect. Missouri was the first state to do so Friday.

Democrat-led states, like Waters' home state of California, are more than likely to take the reverse course of action and dramatically expand abortion access. In May, after a draft version of Alito's opinion was leaked to the media, California and New York advanced legislation to expand abortion access and even fund abortions with taxpayer dollars.

Waters vowed that Democrats would take more steps to protect abortion after the court's ruling.

"We're going to take every effort and try everything we can to overcome what they have done to us today," she said.

Earlier at the protest, she said the left would rally women to turn out in the upcoming midterm elections and promised legislation would be forthcoming to protect abortion rights.

"We're not intimidated. We're going to fight. We're not going backwards, we're going forward. I don't care what that vote is today, they cannot stop us. We're going to control our lives," Waters said.

"We're going to do everything that we can possibly do. We gonna continue to organize. We're going to turn out a huge vote of women. We're going to see if we can get something on the ballot real soon."

Ukraine claims Putin suffered significant losses, missile strike at military base in Russia; video shows Ukrainian plane shot down over Kyiv



Ukraine has claimed to have inflicted a significant blow on Vladimir Putin's forces.

The Financial Times reported on an update by Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, claiming losses that the Russian military had incurred.

Maliar reportedly wrote in a Facebook post: "Since the beginning of the open large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine, the troops of the invading country have suffered the following losses (approximately) as of 3pm Friday:

  • Tanks — up to 80
  • Armored combat vehicles of various types — 516
  • Aircraft — 10
  • Helicopters — 7
  • Special staff — 2,800

We are strong! Victory will be ours."

On Thursday, at least 15 Russian T-72 tanks were "destroyed or damaged by the Ukrainian forces using the Javelin PTRK, an American anti-tank missile, near Glukhov," according to the Daily Mail.

Ukraine has reportedly launched a counteroffensive and attacked a Russian military base approximately 10 miles from the border of the warring countries, Newsweek reported.

The Daily Mail added, "Ukrainian forces claimed on Friday to have destroyed part of an airfield in Millerovo in southern Russia, destroying several of Moscow's fighter jets."

Video of fire at basepic.twitter.com/3GnT9CbuxO
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) 1645772417
It is now confirmed \u2014 Ukrainian military has delivered a strike on a Russian airfield in Millerovo, Rostov Oblast\nA number of enemy aircraft have been destroyed.pic.twitter.com/xwex4z5ryg
— Illia Ponomarenko (@Illia Ponomarenko) 1645778128

The U.K. Ministry of Defense stated Thursday: "It is unlikely that Russia has achieved its planned Day 1 military objectives. Ukrainian forces have presented fierce resistance across all axes of Russia's advances."

The British agency also acknowledged that Russian forces "highly likely" captured the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant. Ukrainian officials have since confirmed the report, adding that Russian forces have seized control of the now-defunct nuclear power plant and that the staff are being "held hostage," according to CNN.

Ukraine lost one of its best fighter jets on early Friday morning. CNN reported that a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet was shot down over Kyiv shortly before dawn on Friday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Evgeny Yenin. Several videos capture the fiery scene above the country's capital city of nearly 3,000 residents as smoldering debris rains down on Kyiv.

Before the war started, Ukraine only had 34 Su-27 fighter jets, according to Forbes.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry says Kyiv's air defenses have downed a Russian aircraft. Here's a collection of videos showing a massive explosion with debris raining over apartment high-rises on the left bank of the Dnieper River.pic.twitter.com/Ub3LdzdTh0
— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1645759070

The destroyed plane caused a high-rise apartment to catch fire. Three people in the apartment building were injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

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— \u0412\u0456\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0456\u0439 \u041a\u043b\u0438\u0447\u043a\u043e (@\u0412\u0456\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0456\u0439 \u041a\u043b\u0438\u0447\u043a\u043e) 1645760282

The New York Times reported that the United Nations released a statement on Friday claiming that they had received reports of at least 25 civilians have been killed and 127 injured in Ukraine due to "shelling and airstrikes" from the Russian invasion. The U.N. cautioned that the actual death toll was likely much higher.

The U.N. also estimates that roughly 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes, many traveling to neighboring countries for safety.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law following the Russian invasion. The declaration prohibits Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 to leave the country, CBS News reported.

Actress Evangeline Lilly stands in solidarity with anti-vaccine mandate protesters



Actress Evangeline Lilly, a pro-choice Democrat, spoke out against vaccine mandates Thursday in an Instagram post that stirred online controversy.

The "Ant-Man" and "Lost" star revealed that she attended a protest against vaccine mandates in Washington D.C. last weekend, calling the mandates "not safe."

"I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing," Lilly announced, referencing the ongoing Freedom Convoy in Canada traveling from Vancouver to Ottawa in protest of the country's vaccine mandates.

She was one of thousands of people rallying in D.C. on Sunday. Crowds gathered on the National Mall chanted "no more mandates" and called on the government to end the mass firing of workers who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

A look around the Defeat the Mandates rally taking place at the Lincoln Memorial.pic.twitter.com/u8oMkD0iLD
— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1642963995

"I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will ... under any threat whatsoever," the 42-year-old actress wrote after the protest.

"This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don't believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems," she continued.

"I was pro-choice before COVID and I am still pro-choice today," she said.

The reaction to her post was unkind.

"This is pro ignorance. Ugh, this comes from a highly privileged white woman who think she's being woke when the reality is just that she hasn't read enough," one commenter wrote on her post.

"This goes beyond personal choice- it is about caring for others (especially those who are immune-compromised) during a pandemic. It is selfish to remain unvaccinated," another said.

Many people on social media interpreted Lilly's post as a stance against the COVID-19 vaccines, but that's not what she wrote. Lilly said she was against vaccine mandates, and the first picture in her post features a protester with a sign that reads, "Vaxxed Democrat for Medical Freedom."

This is not the first time the movie star has caused controversy with an Instagram post on COVID-19. In March 2020, Lilly wrote a post that she would not self-quarantine because she valued her freedom.

"Where we are right now feels a lot too close to Marshall Law for my comfort already, all in the name of a respiratory flu," she said at the time. "It's unnerving ... Let's be vigilant right now. And kind. Watchful and gracious — keeping a close eye on our leaders, making sure they don't abuse this moment to steal away more freedoms and grab more power."

But after widespread backlash to her comments, Lilly apologized for showing "insensitivity" to those that had suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also stated that she began social distancing like everyone else two days after her controversial post.