Showing posts with label lockdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lockdown. Show all posts

Monday, 28 November 2022

Social unrest throughout China

Something is going on in China!

EMERGENCY - China Has Erupted - REVOLUTION!

 

From lamestream media

 

Zero-Tolerance: Chinese Lockdown Protests Intensify In Rare Display Of Defiance

Protests in China over President Xi Jinping's zero-tolerance Covid-19 measures have intensified - expanding from Beijing and the far western Xinjiang region to several other major cities, including Wuhan, Shanghai, and the eastern city of Nanjing, according to video and photos circulating on social media.

Students take part in a protest against COVID-19 curbs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, in a still from video released on Nov. 27, 2022. (Reuters)

The weekend protests followed Friday demonstrations in Urumqi, the capitol of Xinjiang, after a deadly fire killed residents who were locked inside following lockdowns which have lasted more than 100 days. Officials have reported 10 deaths in the fire, however citizens have reported up to 40 who perished.

The protests are a rare display from a typically compliant citizenry, who know that crackdowns on dissent have intensified over the past decade. As the Wall Street Journal notes, " Having protests over the same issue break out in multiple Chinese cities is almost unheard of, outside of nationalist outpourings, such as anti-Japanese protests."

Since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, the ruling party has allowed some local demonstrations, but made it a priority to prevent nationwide protests.

On Saturday, videos circulating on social media showed crowds gathering on a street in central Shanghai calling for a lifting of lockdowns. The videos were verified by Storyful, a social-media research company owned by News Corp, parent company of The Wall Street Journal. -WSJ

Protests are calling for Xi Jinping to step down

During Saturday evening demonstrations in Shanghai - the largest city in the country, people were openly heard shouting anti-government slogans such as "Xi Jinping, step down!" and "Communist party, step down!" the BBC reports.

Demonstrators held blank white banners and lit candles to honor the victims in the Urumqi fire.

There has been a large security presence around Urumqi Road, where people attempted to lay floral tributes for fire victims in Urumqi

One Shanghai protester told the BBC that he felt "shocked and a bit excited" at so many people in the streets - saying it was the first such large-scale demonstration of dissent. A woman told the BBC that police said they feel "the same as you" about the protests, but "they wear their uniforms so they're doing their job."

As the Epoch Times notes; At Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University, dozens of people held a peaceful protest against COVID-19 restrictions, according to images and videos posted on social media.

In one video, which Reuters was unable to verify, a Tsinghua university student called on a cheering crowd to speak out. “If we don’t dare to speak out because we are scared of being smeared, our people will be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua university student, I will regret it for all my life.”

One student who saw the Tsinghua protest described to Reuters feeling taken aback by the protest at one of China’s most elite universities, and Xi’s alma mater.

“People there were very passionate, the sight of it was impressive,” the student said, declining to be named given the sensitivity of the matter.

According to the report, "analysts say the government appears to have drastically underestimated growing discontent towards the zero-Covid approach, a policy inextricably linked to Xi Jinping who recently pledged there would be no swerving from it.".

In other areas of the country witnesses gave accounts of police violence, with one protesters telling AP (so who knows if it's true) that one of his friends had been beaten by police, while two others were pepper sprayed.

The BBC saw police officers, private security guards and plain-clothed police officers on the streets, confronting protesters who assembled for a second day.

Demonstrators who led anti-government chants were taken away, and punched or pushed up against a police car in some cases.

Photos and videos have also emerged online that showed students launching their own protests at universities in Beijing and Nanjing on Saturday. -BBC

On Sunday, hundreds of people were seen demonstrating in Wuhan, where the Covid-19 pandemic began. 

Meanwhile...

And of course, Taylor Lorenz is cheering China's zero-covid policy.

And of course, Taylor Lorenz is cheering China's zero-covid policy.


COVID Lockdown Protests Erupt In Beijing, Xinjiang After Deadly Fire

Protests have erupted in Beijing and the far western Xinjiang region over COVID-19 lockdowns and a deadly fire on Thursday in a high-rise building in Urumqi that killed 10 people (with some reports putting the number as high as 40).

Crowds took to the street in Urumqi, the capitol of Xinjiang, with protesters chanting "End the lockdown!" while pumping their fists in the air, following the circulation of videos of the fire on Chinese social media on Friday night.

Protest videos show people in a plaza singing China's national anthem - particularly the line: "Rise up, those who refuse to be slaves!" Others shouted that they did not want lockdowns. In the northern Beijing district of Tiantongyuan, residents tore down signs and took to the streets.

Reuters verified that the footage was published from Urumqi, where many of its 4 million residents have been under some of the country's longest lockdowns, barred from leaving their homes for as long as 100 days.

In the capital of Beijing 2,700 km (1,678 miles) away, some residents under lockdown staged small-scale protests or confronted their local officials over movement restrictions placed on them, with some successfully pressuring them into lifting them ahead of a schedule. -Reuters

According to an early Saturday news conference by Urumqi officials, COVID measures did not hamper escape and rescue during the fire, but Chinese social media wasn't buying it.

"The Urumqi fire got everyone in the country upset," said Beijing resident Sean Li.

According to Reuters; 

A planned lockdown for his compound "Berlin Aiyue" was called off on Friday after residents protested to their local leader and convinced him to cancel it, negotiations that were captured by a video posted on social media.

The residents had caught wind of the plan after seeing workers putting barriers on their gates. "That tragedy could have happened to any of us," he said.

By Saturday evening, at least ten other compounds lifted lockdown before the announced end-date after residents complained, according to a Reuters tally of social media posts by residents.


Foxconn Riot Could Cut China iPhone Production By More Than 30%

Apple's top manufacturing partner, Foxconn Technology Group, is set to see November iPhone shipments from a massive factory in Zhengzhou, China, known as iPhone City, plunge after a week of unrest, Reuters said, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. 

They said iPhone production would be slashed by more than 30% at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant in November versus an earlier estimate of up to 30% when problems at the factory began in late October. 

Most of the 200,000-person workforce has been living in isolation since last month. New hires were brought in recently as management wanted to keep churning premium iPhone models, including the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro. 

But Foxconn failed to live up to its promises of higher pay for new hires, which sparked a riot across the world's largest iPhone factory earlier this week. To squash the violence, Foxconn began distributing 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to newly recruited workers to leave by Thursday.

"The source said more than 20,000 workers, mostly new hires not yet working on production lines, took the money and left," Reuters said. 

The Zhengzhou plant accounts for 70% of global iPhone shipments, and a reduction in production will ripple through the supply chain. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, is Apple's top supplier, which means any manufacturing disruption in China could leave AT&T, Best Buy, and Verizon stores without iPhones.  

Another source said it's "impossible" for Apple to resume full iPhone production by the end of the month. 

ODDO BHF, a Franco-German financial services group, said even if Apple shifts production to other plants, "the impact will probably be significant, as long as these protests are continuing in Zhengzhou, with significant delays to be expected for the iPhone 14." 

Foxconn acknowledged it made errors in managing new hires while blaming local officials for unpredictable health policies that impacted meal delivery and made maintenance nearly impossible, according to Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the company.  

"You see cases like Foxconn, and every company is now asking themselves, 'Will that happen to me?'

"Any company that depends on manufacturing has to consider alternatives. It will be costly, but it will be less costly than only relying on China and then China doesn't open up," Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia Pacific economist at Natixis, said. 

In early November, Foxconn revised its earning expectations down for Q4 on zero Covid disruptions at the assembly facility, while Apple warned iPhone capacity would be reduced. After chaos this week, more downward revisions could be ahead. 

 

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Sunday, 22 August 2021

Lockdown in Lower Hutt, NZ: A photographic essay

Lockdown in Hutt City, NZ

The whole of New Zealand is under Level 4 lockdown that is supposed to last until Tuesday, although everyone knows it will go on - given the narrative the government has painted itself into, in perpetuity.

I have been sent these photos with comments.

I shall add my own observations in bold type.

This is High Street in Lower Hutt, which, although it has already been all but destroyed as a busy shopping hub usually has a lot more activity than this!

Strangely quiet for a normal bustling Saturday. 

Local 'Mad Butcher' and adjoining fish shop closed. The lockdown is hitting butchers hard - fresh meat needing to be refrigerated or disposed of, and the mostly low income folk  who shop here denied affordable meat for their families. 

During the last lockdown butchers and vegetable shops were forced to shut down while the supermarkets, practically given monopoly rights, became the only places for people to shop along with some boutique shops that cater to the elite.

It looks as if this is being repeated this time.


https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/449615/retail-meat-nz-fears-some-butchers-won-t-survive-extended-lockdown

On to the local Countdown supermarket. 

Again, quiet for a Saturday

People are not allowed entry without a mask.


Then off to the hospital  - deserted with hardly a soul to be seen in this normally bustling place.





We went on to check the Covid testing centre behind the 24 hour urgent pharmacy that was there last time. 

In our 2020 lockdown we had a testing centre there, with a queue of folk lined up and going right around the corner waiting to have a nasal swab.  

The testing centre is gone

Instead, it has been replaced by this drive-in COVID testing station,  on the very river carpark where we normally go to the weekly farmer's market.


Not much activity, late morning!



 Where is everyone? 

Aha - there's a queue of people lined up along the footpath leading to a Community Vaccination Centre on High Street. 


I put a mask on before getting out of the car to take a photo. 


I feel uneasy, because at least 6 cops have joined to the back of the queue and are talking with some of the younger people.  

Ok. Got a pic. 


More observations

I checked the website for the Hutt Valley District Health Board.

There are no indications as to whether operations for the seriously ill are going ahead (they were put on the back burner last time round).


So the health authorities say they are rescheduling planned procedures
Maternal care is an essential service - fair enough.

But abortion services?!  They are an essential service but operations for people with cancer are not?



INJUSTICE!!

The local cafe we go to every weekend to buy our weekend bread is closed because of government regulations.


Yet, across the road this boutique food outlet is open for business on a Sunday morning.


But, "stay safe, be kind!" (comrade Jacinda's slogan)





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Friday, 5 March 2021

Children are dying in Germany

Please share this where you can.

 “Children are dying”” An impassioned plea from a German doctor

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The Guardian suggests Covid-like shutdowns every 2 years to meet Paris climate goals

 I have lots to say about this but no time to say it.


Carbon dioxide emissions must fall by the equivalent of a global lockdown roughly every two years for the next decade for the world to keep within safe limits of global heating, research has shown.

Lockdowns around the world led to an unprecedented fall in emissions of about 7% in 2020, or about 2.6bn tonnes of CO2, but reductions of between 1bn and 2bn tonnes are needed every year of the next decade to have a good chance of holding temperature rises to within 1.5C or 2C of pre-industrial levels, as required by the Paris agreement.

Research published on Wednesday shows that countries were beginning to slow their rates of greenhouse gas emissions before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, but not to the levels needed to avert climate breakdown. Since lockdowns were eased in many countries last year, there have been strong signs that emissions will rise again to above 2019 levels, severely damaging the prospects of fulfilling the Paris goals.

Corinne Le Quéré, lead author of the study, said the world stood at a crucial point as governments poured money into the global economy to cope with the impacts of the pandemic. “We need a cut in emissions of about the size of the fall [from the lockdowns] every two years, but by completely different methods,” she said.


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/03/global-lockdown-every-two-years-needed-to-meet-paris-co2-goals-study

Lockdowns or the planet gets 

it? Guardian ‘accidentally’ 

suggests Covid-like shutdowns 

every 2 years to meet Paris 

climate goals



RT,

4 March, 2021


Helen Buyniski is an American journalist and political commentator at RT. Follow her on Twitter @velocirapture23

The Guardian accidentally confirmed the suspicions of a whole lot of conspiracy theorists with an article suggesting a “global lockdown every two years” was needed to meet Paris climate goals. The title was quickly changed.

If carbon dioxide emissions don’t drop by the equivalent of a worldwide lockdown “roughly every two years” for the next decade, the earth will heat to apocalyptic levels, a team of researchers at the University of East Anglia warned in a Nature article published Wednesday.

This apparently so excited a certain strain of climate fanatic on the Guardian staff, that they originally posted the piece under the title “Global lockdown every two years needed to meet Paris CO2 goals – study.” After being dragged mercilessly for such fear porn, the headline was changed to “Equivalent of Covid emissions drop needed every two years – study” with an explainer that “experts say” that “equivalent falls in emissions over a decade” would be “required to keep safe limits of global heating.”

Despite calling for “completely different methods” to achieve and lock in the emissions drop from the pandemic, lead researcher Corinne Le Quéré nevertheless insisted that climate change couldn’t be a “side issue. It can’t be about one law or policy, it has to be put at the heart of all policy.”

Every strategy and every plan from every government must be consistent with tackling climate change.

While Le Quéré didn’t come out and suggest people be arbitrarily deprived of their liberties every two years in order to please a climate model, the other “strategic actions” she mentioned to keep some of the gains of the pandemic were already being implemented – and in many cases had been implemented for years. From city planning to incentivize “active transport” (walking and cycling) and growing public transportation, to promoting remote work where possible, her suggestions were not exactly new – and unlikely to convince anyone they were sufficient enough.


“There is a real contradiction between what governments are saying they are doing to do [to generate a green recovery], and what they are doing,” Le Quéré told the Guardian, calling the phenomenon “very worrisome.” 

Her co-researcher Glen Peters was more explicit in what latitude countries should have to move away from fossil fuels on their own time, calling for “structural changes” to move economies toward renewable energy.

Some on social media, seeing the “quiet part” said out loud on the first edition of the Guardian article, had an “I told you so” moment. The threat of ‘climate lockdowns’ has been alternately presented and “debunked” by mainstream media for months.

…others at first assumed it had to be satire, because no one would post something that on-the-nose –

…except maybe for the World Economic Forum, which actually posted in praise of what lockdowns had done to cities – presumably turned them into uninhabitable hives of snitches where one can’t even take in a Broadway show anymore – earlier this week, before removing its tweet under public pressure. 

The WEF had posted a video praising the “silence” and clearer air – and lack of humans, though they didn’t say that part out loud.



https://www.rt.com/news/516767-world-economic-forum-tweet-deleted/


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