Videos from Shanghai show enraged, locked-in locals yelling at officials. Does this signal a public loss of trust in the Communist Party’s competence?
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskSocial-media posts show locked-in residents shouting at visiting delegations of officials that they have no food, or that government rations are rotten when delivered. There are videos of Shanghai citizens tearing down green metal fences that suddenly appeared around apartment blocks and streets designated as “hard quarantine” sites, after covid-19 cases were found nearby.
In a country with a free press, a functioning opposition or a political system that set any store by the rights of individuals, scenes of mass hunger in Shanghai, China’s most affluent city, would already be a vulnerability for Mr Xi—especially when the concurrent lockdowns imposed on dozens of less privileged cities are added to the tally sheet of China’s pandemic-control costs and benefits.
In China’s majoritarian system, minorities who resist the party’s will must be crushed. In other contexts those minorities may be ethnic, religious or ideological, or unlucky sorts in the way of a party priority. In all cases, dissent is treated as sabotage. Some anger on display in Shanghai arguably stems from locals’ shock at being on the wrong end of a minority-majority divide for once.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Grace and Frankie ending: Why is it ending after season 7?GRACE AND FRANKIE has been airing since August 2021 and the final season was split into two parts. Why is the series ending after season 7?
Read more »
'Why I talk about my LGBT+ experience in schools'Isaac, Billy and Pippa visit schools to share their experiences of growing up LGBT+. They say avoiding discussions about sexuality and gender in schools can be dangerous.
Read more »
365 Days trilogy's 'insane' ending angered fans - find out why365 Days might be one of Netflix's biggest hits, but it sounds like the novel series' ending didn't impress fans - find out more
Read more »
Heartstopper's Kit Connor Reveals Why That Olivia Colman Scene Was Even More Emotional In RehearsalFans of the Netflix series have celebrated the touching moment where Nick comes out to his mother, played by Olivia, as bisexual.
Read more »
Body shock: why Cronenberg’s kidney stones could be the saviour of NFTsHe’s been incubating his latest work for the past two years. Now the Canadian film-maker is auctioning it off to the crypto community – and what an incredible bargain it is
Read more »