A protest broke out in Dongxing City, Guangxi, on June 5. Over a thousand people gathered in front of a government building to demand authorities lift the lockdown. Dozens of police officers were sent to confront the protesters.
Guangxi’s Dongxing city has been closed for more than three months. The protest occurred after city authorities sought to prolong the lockdown as new COVID cases appeared.
Videos shared on the internet show some residents clashing with police.
Other residents gathered in front of the Vienna International Hotel shouting, “We have no money.”
Authorities eventually agreed that those who tested negative on the following day could go out. A day after the protest, Guangxi authorities issued a new emergency notice, saying that residents could move around local areas without restrictions. They also banned restrictive measures like force isolation on residents with 48-hour negative test results.
However, overseas Chinese media reported that people still could not leave the city.
Some residents told Xin Tang Reng newspaper that the lockdown had not been completely lifted. Transportation has not returned to normal. Schools are still closed. Although people can go to work, not many people are on the streets.
A video shows a wholesale market in the city was deserted. The person who filmed the video said she was there alone. She wondered when the prosperity would come back to the town.
Topics related to the demonstrations in Dongxing were censored on WeChat and Weibo.
Local people posted on Weibo saying that the long-term lockdown has hit hard the economy of this border town. Xiwang Zhi Sheng 希望之声 media cited a comment saying, “The city closure has caused problems for the people living in this small border town of Dongxing. They need money for home and car loans, bank loans, food, clothing, housing, and children’s education. Without work, there is no money, so what will the people do to make ends meet?”
