Unprecedented 'A4 Revolution' Shakes China 中國掀「白紙革命」 六四後首次大型示威

It's come to be known as the A4 revolution, a wave of protests that was spread across china for the past few weeks demanding to an end of the harsh lock down and the strict zero-COVID restrictions. Blank sheets of paper serves as a symbol of dissent against censorship and a tactic to avoid arrest under Chinese law. The recent unrest started from the apartment fire that killed 10 people in Xinjiang's Urumqi late November.

“Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! ”Starting in November this year, protests have erupted in at least 17 cities in China, marking the largest anti-government protest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. This has posed a threat to Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese Citizens: “End lockdown! We need freedom! End lockdown! We need freedom!”

On Nov. 24, a fire broke out in an apartment building in Xinjiang's Urumqi.  It took three hours until firefighters started to extinguish the fire. At least 10 people were killed and nine others injured according to Chinese authorities. However, activists have claimed that dozens more were killed in the blaze. Many believe Beijing's strict COVID rules contribute to the death toll, which triggered protests across China. People in major Chinese cities held up blank pieces of A4 paper while marching in the streets, calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping.

Chinese Citizens: “CCP step down! Xi Jinping step down! Xi Jinping step down!”

The outbreak of the protests has sparked concern around the world. Although contents deemed sensitive are often removed or blocked on Chinese social media, protest-related videos were widely spread on other platforms, such as Twitter. Not only citizens in mainland China but also people who lived overseas supported the demonstrations, making the "A4 Revolution" a global movement.

Mi Feng, Spokesman, China National Health Commission: “Today, the general office of the State Council inter-agency task force has adopted new measures to further optimize COVID-19 prevention and control.”

China announced further relaxation on COVID policy on Dec. 7, in response to the nationwide protests. The 10 new easing rules, including allowing infected people with mild or no symptoms to quarantine at home, and health code and negative tests are no longer needed when entering most of the indoor venues. However, whether the A4 Revolution will be put to rest and whether Xi's regime will be affected, are still uncertain.

「自由!自由!自由!自由!」11月起，中國多個城市傳出大規模抗議，是中國境內繼1989六四天安門事件後最大抗議活動，也被視為習上任後最大的挑戰。

「不要封控要自由! 不要封控要自由!」起初是因烏魯木齊一棟民宅發生火災，造成死傷，被認為是因防疫政策而導致消防人員延遲救援，引發爭議。民眾不滿疫情以來中國政府的「動態清零政策」，長期實行地區封鎖，有人拿著白紙，站在街頭，以暗諷言論自由受到限制的方式，表達對防疫政策、甚至習近平及中共的不滿。

「共產黨下台! 習近平下台! 習近平下台!」抗議爆發後，引發外界高度關注。雖然中國的社群很快就禁用相關字詞，在推特及其他平台卻開始有大量的影音消息迅速傳播，不僅中國各大城市接連傳出抗議聲浪，海外人士也紛紛響應這起示威，聲援遍布全球。

國家衛生健康委新聞發言人米鋒：「國務院聯防聯控機制綜合組出台了《進一步優化落實新冠肺炎疫情防控的措施》。」

12月7日，中國官方火速公布10項優化防疫新措施，包含無症狀及輕症病例可採居家隔離、除特定場所外不須提供核酸證明等。然而這場革命是否就此平息，習近平政權又是否受到影響，仍有待觀察。