Protests erupted in the Chinese city of Urumqi on Saturday over a fire in an apartment building that killed at least ten people last Thursday. The residents were unable to get out of the apartment in time because the doors were locked due to the city’s strict corona measures.
Video footage shows groups of people marching through the streets of Urumqi on Saturday, calling for freedom. News agency Reuters He writes that protesters in droves chanted “Stop the lockdown” while raising their fists in the air.
Residents of Xinjiang, the province where Urumqi is located, are not allowed to leave their homes for 100 days. China has a policy of not spreading the virus, as a number of infections can lead to very stringent measures. In Urumqi, about a hundred new cases of the virus have been detected every day for the past few days.
There were no casualties on Thursday not only because the doors of the apartment complex were closed, but also because people did not dare to leave the building due to the strict rules. It also took a long time for the rescuers to get to the building, because the fences were being put in place due to the lockdown.
The authorities in Urumqi say that no one in the apartment was hindered by the coronavirus measures. They argue that the residents of the building know little about the dangers of fire.
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