Anti-government protests in China

This video features in a responsive display in the museum that presents the moments, stories and memes capturing the zeitgeist by going viral on the internet.

The media is strictly controlled in China through a variety of regulatory guidelines, which include not reporting on pro-democracy movements. Social media and smartphones can sidestep these directives, allowing everyday citizens to record and share their experiences – and organise. Sparked by ongoing Covid lockdowns and a fire that broke out in an apartment building, which authorities couldn’t reach because of Covid infrastructure around the building, mass protests have broken out across China. While demonstrations aren’t uncommon in the country, simultaneous mass uprisings, coordinated on social media, are. Police have been seen deleting footage from participants’ phones, but the vision has already escaped China’s borders and been broadcast on social and traditional media.

As the Wall Street Journal writes, “Twitter Becomes Stage for China Protests Despite Ban by Beijing”, with protestors using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to post their videos, as well as reacting quickly before the government’s censorship algorithms catch up. Footage seen in recent days include protestors fighting with authorities in high-rise stairways (embedded below) and medical authorities patrolling daily Covid tests with machine guns. However, without the usual verification methods used by traditional media outlets, it’s hard to be certain of the authenticity of videos. Meanwhile, anti-lockdown activists in other countries have been quick to point out that many countries suppressed anti-lockdown protests.

The uprisings are being likened to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Film of that protest’s most iconic images – showing the lone ‘Tank Man’ standing up against the military – were smuggled out of the country. Today, that smuggling and dissemination is happening over digital networks. Unlike the Tiananmen Square protests, which only happened in Beijing, this recent round of protests are happening around the country.