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."