Shanghai is blanketed by police after weekend protests

On Monday night, hundreds of officers patrolled Shanghai’s landmarks. They also visited the site of an anti-lockdown protest.

China is angry at Covid’s failure to rescue people from a devastating fire that broke out in Urumqi, northwestern China.

On Sunday, large numbers gathered in Shanghai. Police clashed against protesters trying to stop them from gathering at Wulumuqi Street — named after Urumqi’s Mandarin.

Monday saw a heavy police presence again in the area. AFP witnessed officers taking four people into custody and later releasing one.

“The atmosphere tonight was nervy. As evening fell, a man in his 30s stated to AFP that there were so many police officers.

He claimed that he was a Taku, a person he used to be, and that he lost his job as a pilot for an international airline due to the pandemic.

“The rest has opened up but China remains stuck with its zero-Covid policy. “This city feels insane at the moment.”

Police stopped people and one young man told AFP that he was asked if he had installed any foreign apps on his smartphone. This phenomenon is widely reported on social media.

Taku stated that he was not expecting a Wulumuqi street protest to break out Monday night but that he was looking forward to it.

He stated that he would not join the fight, but would attempt to photograph arrests if possible.

An AFP reporter found 12 police cars within 100 meters of Wulumuqi street.

Monday saw roads that had been closed in the evening of yesterday reopened and were filled with officers.

Many streets were lined with blue metal barriers. AFP saw them being erected overnight.

A woman aged 30 working in a nearby shop stated that she was affected by the obstacles.

She said, “I find the atmosphere strange but I don’t feel unsafe.” “I don’t expect violence to occur.”

The vast People’s Square was only ten minutes away by car.

Bars located in the vicinity informed AFP that they were to close at 10:00pm (1400 GMT), for “disease management”.

Outside each metro exit, small groups of officers in high-vis jackets stood in close proximity.

The atmosphere was calm overall, but AFP noticed a group consisting of four officers surrounding two young men. They appeared to be searching their bags and checking their phones and cameras before they were allowed on their way after five minutes.

Police stated that their actions were part “normal checks” and that they were present “regularly”.

A heightened security presence was observed around the square’s city government building, with numerous police vans and mobile units parking along the road.

AFP observed officers in Wulumuqi directing people to remove photos from their phones throughout the day.

A young woman aged around 20 was stopped and asked to delete photos. I love my country very much. Why can’t you take a picture of the streets in my country?

She eventually appeared to remove the shots, and was then allowed to continue.

An officer answered the question of why the AFP reporter was taken away from one of the detained people on Monday. He said that he had not followed our instructions and referred him to the local police.

The young man who was freed said that he had been taken away to film the intersection where protests used to have occurred.

Before being released, he was taken to a van by police.

He said, “As a Shanghai citizen I have the right to record this.” “This is Shanghai right now. There is no freedom.

AFP journalists also saw many people being detained Sunday evening, while multiple witnesses witnessed people being taken away from earlier protests.

Shanghai police did not respond to repeated inquiries on Monday about the number of people detained.