The Chinese people say, "Enough."

Protests have erupted throughout China. They're chanting, "Down with the Communist Party," "Down with Xi Jinping, and "We want freedom." What will happen next?

I was about to send you a newsletter about Hungary—I’ll do that later today—when I checked the news and realized this is really significant:

Protests spread to cities and college campuses around China on Saturday night, reflecting rising public anger at the country’s draconian Covid controls, with some in a crowd in Shanghai directing their fury at the Communist Party and its top leader, Xi Jinping.

The wider demonstrations followed an outpouring of online anger and a street protest that erupted Friday in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang in western China, where at least 10 people died and nine others were injured in an apartment fire on Thursday. Many Chinese people say they suspect Covid restrictions prevented those victims from escaping their homes, a claim the government has rejected.

Frida Ghitis @FridaGhitis

Angry protests continue in China. This in Beijing.

Eva Rammeloo @eefjerammeloo

‘We want freedom!’

Emily Feng 冯哲芸 @EmilyZFeng

Tsinghua university right now👇🏼 city after city seeing protests small and large against Zero Covid policies and against excesses of Communist Party rule - every hour there seems to be a new one

Franka Lu @FrankaLu

People were shouting: “Down with the Communist Party! “Down with Xi Jinping!” “We want freedom!” Every of these slogans is enough to send a person to jail for 10 years or even a life risk. https://t.co/QvmykgS8j8

Eva Rammeloo @eefjerammeloo

Chilling. The national anthem. Especially that phrase ‘qi lai!’ (‘stand up!’). Never seen anything like this. Well, except in #HongKong…