Students from mainland China held vigils and rallies in a number of cities in the UK, echoing widespread protests against the regime’s zero-COVID policies that have taken place across China and around the globe.
The rare scenes of mass protests are reminiscent of the democracy movement of 1989, triggered by a fatal apartment fire in Xinjiang where victims were reportedly locked in the building under China’s extreme COVID restrictions and fire engines were said to be delayed by lockdown barriers and stranded cars in the streets.
Officials say the fire killed 10 and injured nine, but the numbers are disputed, with different figures circulating online. Umit Hamit, chairman of the Uyghur Freedom Forum, told Radio Free Asia that locals said 44 people were killed, including a number of children. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the number….