Mystery protester hailed as ‘new tank man’ mounts bridge in Beijing to drape large anti-Xi banners

WeChat users who shared pictures of the demonstration reportedly had their accounts suspended

In a rare show of political protest in China, a mysterious person hung banners from a bridge in Beijing, calling for freedom and an end to the country’s zero-Covid policy.

In the large banners mounted on the Sitong bridge in the Haidian district of Beijing, the protester called for an end to lockdowns and for worker and student strikes to force Chinese president Xi Jinping out, Associated Press reported.

The handwritten banners were removed quickly and any mention of the protest is being erased from the internet as the ruling Communist Party bolsters security in the lead-up to its historic political meeting where president Xi is expected to win his third term as party leader.

Users of the Chinese social media app WeChat who had shared pictures of the demonstration reportedly had their accounts suspended.

Some had their accounts banned for 24 hours, while others were permanently suspended from the app, according to Financial Times.

Local reports say one person has been arrested in connection to the demonstration.

Many are praising the protester as the “new Tank Man,” in reference to the Chinese man who stood in front of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen protests in which over 200,000 people were killed by the People’s Liberation Army in a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.

The large banners mounted on the bridge on Thursday also called for an end to China’s harsh zero-Covid policies.

“Don’t want PCR tests, want to eat. Don’t want a Cultural revolution, want reforms,” the banners reportedly read.

China had stuck to this policy as means to reduce the impact of the pandemic on its economy and society, enforcing mass testing, strict lockdowns as well as travel restrictions across various parts of the country.

While countries in other parts of the world have opened up travel and workplaces and reduced pandemic-era restrictions, China continues to enforce stringent lockdowns.

These guidelines are set to be in force at least until the upcoming Communist Party meeting in October and November where Mr Xi is expected to announce that he will continue as president of the country in his third 5-year stint.