Protesters took to the streets in the Chinese city of Shanghai early Sunday morning, according to eyewitnesses, to protest the strict lockdown measures imposed by the authorities as part of the country's "Zero COVID" policy for nearly three years.

Hundreds of students from the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing also participated in the demonstration against the Chinese government's COVID-19 control policy, according to a witness and as shown in photos posted on social media platforms. The same source said: "At 11:30, students began raising banners at the entrance of the cafeteria, and more people gradually joined them. There are now between 200 and 300 people."

According to a video widely circulated on the internet, protesters appeared on Wolumoki Street in central Shanghai, chanting slogans demanding President Xi Jinping's "resignation" and attacking the Chinese Communist Party, in a rare expression of hostility towards the president and the regime in the country's economic capital.

Also, in another video transmitted by an eyewitness, people appeared gathering in central Shanghai to honor ten people killed in a fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang (western China). Internet users circulated posts on Chinese social media networks affirming that COVID-19 control measures exacerbated the tragedy as they delayed the arrival of aid.

Activists reported in other posts on platforms that protest vigils were organized to commemorate the Urumqi victims at several universities across the country. A person who participated in one of the protest gatherings in Shanghai said they arrived around 2 a.m. at the rally. They stated that "a group of sad people placed flowers on the sidewalk while another group was chanting slogans," adding: "Some limited clashes occurred but overall the police behaved with civility," explaining that "the police took two people away for unknown reasons."

The police were also quick to impose restrictions on online discussions about the demonstration. The hashtag "Urumqi Road" was banned on the "Weibo" platform, which is similar to Twitter in China, shortly after photos of the gatherings were published.