China’s Covid Protests & The Lobster Conundrum
November 28, 2022
Zero Covid, But Infected With The Spirit Of Protest
Protests have sprung up in China over the course of the weekend, with activists gathering in major cities across the country to call for general freedoms and speak out against the nation’s stringent zero-Covid policies. The protests were initially sparked by an apartment fire that began on Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province. The blaze claimed 10 lives and left nine injured, with videos of the incident seeming to show that lockdown measures slowed down firefighters’ ability to reach victims quickly.
The fire seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Following mass demonstrations in Urumqi on Friday night, protests began in other major cities across China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou.
Shanghai’s protests were especially serious given the city’s history with Covid policies. Earlier this year, the city was effectively shut down for two whole months thanks to the CCP’s zero-Covid policy, suffering food shortages and economic devastation. On Saturday, hundreds of protestors gathered at Shanghai’s Urumqi Road (named after the city where the fire took place) and held a vigil for the victims. Aside from the usual candles and flowers found at vigils, protestors also brought plain white sheets of paper, a traditional symbol of protest against government censorship. Chants of “Need human rights, need freedom,” and “Don’t want dictatorship, want democracy!” broke out before police broke up the crowd. Some protestors fought with the police, with a few dragged off into vans before the crowd dispersed at around 4:30 am Sunday morning.
Shanghai’s protests resumed Sunday afternoon, with crowds gathering despite police roadblocks. By Sunday night, mass protests spread to other cities. “Opposition to dictatorship! We don’t want lifelong rulers. We don’t want emperors!” chanted one crowd in Chengdu, referring to Xi Jinping’s recent announcement that he would be serving as China’s president for an unprecedented third term. (CNN)
Some Good News
- Kyiv opens Grain from Ukraine scheme to get food to Africa’s poorest countries (Guardian)
- Venezuela’s frozen funds to be gradually released for humanitarian aid (Reuters)
“Courageously” Crushing Crowds
- On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised his country’s Basij paramilitary forces for their handling of nationwide protests started in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
- “When facing the enemy on the field of battle the Basij has always shown itself to be courageous, not afraid of the enemy,” Khamenei said in a speech Saturday. “You saw in the most recent events, our innocent and oppressed Basijis became the targets of oppression so that they wouldn’t allow the nation to become the targets of rioters and thugs and those on the [enemy] payroll, whether wittingly or unwittingly. They gave of themselves to free others.”
- Just days before Khameini’s speech, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Turk declared that Iran was facing a “full-fledged human rights crisis” due to the government’s response to protests. According to Turk, 14,000 people have been arrested due to connections to the protests, with 21 facing the death penalty. (CNN)
Brazil’s Blight
- According to Brazilian police, a 16-year-old male student armed with a pistol and revolver attacked two schools in Aracruz, Espirito Santo in Brazil on Friday. The police reported that the shooter, who wore a swastika symbol on his vest, was planning the attacks for two years.
- The devastating attacks on one public school and one private school have resulted in 12 wounded and four dead, including three teachers and a student. The identity of the suspected shooter, a former student at the public school, has not been released. Security footage showed him breaking into the public school after breaking a lock to gain access to the teachers’ lounge.
- Currently, the shooter is being detained at a facility for underaged criminals. His weapons have been identified as registered under the name of the former student’s father, a military police officer. The motives for Friday’s shootings remain unknown as preliminary investigations are underway. (CBS)
Additional World News
- Deadly landslide tears through Italian island of Ischia (BBC)
- Snowy Kyiv grapples with power outages amid fears of new attacks (Reuters)
- Sober or bright? Europe faces holidays during energy crunch (AP)
- Vatican says China violated pact on bishops, wants explanation (Reuters)
- China’s Xi pledges support for Cuba on ‘core interests’ (AP)
- Equatorial Guinea: World’s longest-serving president to continue 43-year-rule (BBC)
“I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that is centered around food and family, two things that are of utmost importance to me.” – Marcus Samuelsson
Bipartisanship, But Blocking Bloated Bills
- On Sunday, Republican Representative Mike Turner said on ABC’s “This Week” that Ukraine will have bipartisan support coming from the new Congress, but that Republicans will likely be more cautious in their spending. We don’t need to pass $40 billion, large Democrat bills … to send $8 billion dollars to Ukraine,” Turner said.
- With Republicans gaining control of the House and Democrats maintaining control of the Senate, the two parties will have to work together to keep providing aid. Some Republicans have criticized the money going to the foreign country, saying it’s not all necessary. Biden has already requested another $37 billion that the administration hopes to pass before the new Congress rolls in. (The Hill)
They’re Taking Our Assault Weapons
- Democratic Senator Chris Murphy appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and discussed the likelihood of an assault weapons ban being passed. “I’m glad that President (Joe) Biden is gonna be pushing us to take a vote on an assault weapons ban. The House has already passed it. It’s sitting in front of the Senate,” he said.
- Murphy added that it’s not likely that they have the 60 votes to pass it through the Senate, but that they’ll discuss it with Senator Schumer and make some changes to try to get it passed later down the line. Recent mass shootings, including the Colorado Springs one at an LGBTQ nightclub, have once again brought gun control into the national spotlight.
- He also hopes to find a way to increase law enforcement in areas of the country that refuse to enforce gun laws, saying, “I’ll talk to my colleagues about what our approach should be to this problem. But 60% of counties in this country are refusing to implement the nation’s gun laws, we’ve got to do something about that.” (CNN)
Additional USA News
- WATCH: Kanye West speaks out about Trump’s dinner with Holocaust denier (CNN)
- 1 dead, 5 injured at Atlantic Station shooting (ABC)
- US student debt relief: borrowers in limbo as lawsuits halt cancellation program (Guardian)
- Teenager charged as adult for murder confessed on Instagram (CBS)
- Biden gives Chevron permit to restart Venezuelan oil sales (Politico)
- Mexican authorities search for 2 missing Americans in the Gulf of California (CNN)
- New state voter fraud units finding few cases from midterms (ABC)
To Cancel A Crustacean
- Whole Foods has announced that it will no longer sell lobsters fished from the Gulf of Maine in a move that pits environmental groups against politicians and fishermen. The Amazon subsidiary cited decisions by two sustainability organizations to remove their endorsements of the U.S. lobster industry as the main motivator behind cutting off sales of the crustaceans.
- The Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch both revoked their endorsements of Maine’s lobster fishing industry due to concerns about the risks to North Atlantic right whales from lobster fishing gear. “With fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales in existence, the species is swimming toward extinction unless things turn around,” said Virginia Carter, an associate with Save America’s Wildlife Campaign at Environment America Research & Policy Center.
- Maine’s governor Janet Mills criticized both environmental groups for revoking their endorsement of her state’s iconic industry, saying that Maine fishermen have long protected whales while producing succulent shellfish for the rest of the country. “Despite this, the Marine Stewardship Council, with retailers following suit, wrongly and blindly decided to follow the recommendations of misguided environmental groups rather than science,” she declared. Meal kit company Hello Fresh also dropped lobsters from its menus earlier this year following other groups’ calls to avoid the shellfish. (ABC)
Additional Reads
- Diamond diggers in South Africa’s deserted mines break the law — and risk their lives (NPR)
- Layoffs, ultimatums, and an ongoing saga over blue check marks: Elon Musk’s first month at Twitter (CNN)
- What travel warnings do other nations give their citizens about US violence? (CNN)
- How a family-run Mexican restaurant became a popular chain — and a Southwest phenomenon (NBC)
- A cruise ship passenger was rescued by the Coast Guard after hours in Gulf waters (NPR)