"End the lockdown!" - Large protests in Xinjiang province

There have been massive protests against corona lockdowns in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang. "End the lockdown," chanted the crowd on the streets, according to videos posted to social media on Friday night.

Checks by the Reuters news agency showed that the videos were released in the provincial capital, Urumqi. In other recordings, people could be seen and heard singing the Chinese national anthem, which reads "Rise! All who no longer want to be slaves.”

China has imposed one of the longest lockdowns in Xinjiang because of the new corona wave. Many of Urumqi's four million residents are not allowed to leave their homes for up to 100 days. There have been around 100 new corona cases in the city over the past two days. The number of infections has recently risen in the People's Republic, making it less likely that the strict zero-Covid policy will be relaxed anytime soon.

One of the triggers for the protests was a fire in a skyscraper in Urumqi. It broke out on Thursday evening, killing ten people. The view spread on social networks that the building was partially locked and that many residents therefore did not make it out in time.

At a hastily called press conference on Saturday, city officials said the Corona measures had not hindered escape and rescue. One of them said residents could have gotten out of the building faster if they'd had better knowledge of the safety precautions.