People hold white sheets of paper in protest over coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions after a vigil for the victims of a fire in Urumqi, as outbreaks of COVID-19 continue, in Beijing, China, November 28, 2022.
Credit: © Thomas Peter, Reuters/Alamy Images

Back in 2020, when COVID-19 broke out, the world slowed down. Scientists and health experts figured out that masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing decreased the chance of infection. However, staying home and testing also helped keep the cases down until vaccines were available. Some countries continued lockdowns and travel bans for longer than most of the world. China adopted a “zero-COVID” policy which required testing, hospitalization or isolation in facilities during infection and after exposure, and lockdowns that halted the country’s economy. While the strict policies did maintain a lower rate of infection compared to the United States and other countries, protesters have pointed out that the policy has harmed the economy and the general quality of life since businesses closed during lockdowns and access to food and healthcare was limited.

On Thursday, November 24th, a fire in an apartment building in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region killed 10 people and injured 9. The fire broke out on the 15th floor of the building and spread upward. When firefighters arrived, the stream of water from the fire hose could not reach the fire due to pandemic control barriers. Xinjiang had been under strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for over three months before the fire. Many residents stayed in their apartments out of fear of breaking lockdown rules.

People began raising white papers at the vigils held to mourn those who died in the apartment fire. White is a symbol of death and mourning in Chinese culture. However, the papers soon became a symbol protesting China’s strict zero-COVID policy and censorship. The papers also cover faces, allowing protesters to hide from cameras. The white paper represents what the protesters would like to say if they were not afraid of the consequences of speaking out against the Chinese government. Some protesters have added messages on their papers to share their thoughts.

The last major demonstration in China was the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. These protests broke out among university students demanding political and economic reform. The current protests began in Urumqi, where the fire occurred, and spread to cities and college campuses around China, including in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. The protesters asked for an end to the strict zero-COVID policy keeping China locked down while the rest of the world copes with the virus. Some protesters demanded President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping step down.

After intense protests throughout the country, China’s Communist Party lifted some zero-COVID policy regulations allowing people to resume daily activities on December 7th. Many people returned to work and dined at restaurants with their newfound freedom. However, many remained in voluntary lockdown in fear of contracting the virus. Health officials believe that cases will rise due to China’s low vaccination rate, the protests, and relaxed regulations. China is now reporting an average of 30,000 cases of COVID-19 a day, despite a decrease in testing.

Demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed African American man, in August 2020.
© Kamil Krzaczynski, AFP/Getty Images

Protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and elsewhere this week in response to the August 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man, by a white police officer. The officer shot Blake in the back seven times. Blake was hospitalized but survived.

People in Kenosha and elsewhere have taken to the streets to demonstrate against racism and the police use of force against African Americans. The demonstrations often feature signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” This slogan has become a popular rallying cry in recent years. It is also the name of an activist movement. Black Lives Matter was formed to campaign against racism and what its members consider police brutality against African Americans.

The demonstrations have at time turned violent, with protesters damaging property and police shooting rubber bullets and tear gas. On August 26, two protesters were shot and killed. A third protester was shot, but not fatally. A white 17-year-old from Illinois who claimed to be a member of a militia was arrested in connection with the three shootings.

The shooting of Blake comes in the wake of several other high-profile cases of violence against African Americans by police and others. On Feb. 3, 2020, in Georgia, an African American man named Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging. (Arbery’s killers were not law enforcement officers, but many people were angered when it took months of pressure for arrests to be made in the case.) On March 13, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky, an African American woman named Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers executing a search warrant, who broke into her home in the middle of the night. George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in police custody on May 25. Cellphone video captured by witnesses showed a white police officer kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death.

In protest of the Jacob Blake shooting, players for the Milwaukee Bucks voted to boycott their National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff game on August 26. Other teams followed, and the league soon canceled the day’s games. Many other sports teams and players sat out games in solidarity.

Protesters with a sign featuring George Floyd’s plea to the officer who knelt on his neck: “I can’t breathe.”
Credit: © Kerem Yucel, AFP/Getty Images

Protests erupted in cities throughout the United States (and even around the world) this week, with people taking to the streets to demonstrate against racism and the police use of force against African Americans. Many protests have remained peaceful, but some have turned violent, with law enforcement shooting protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas and rioters setting fires and raiding stores.

The latest round of protests began in Minneapolis, where George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in police custody on May 25. Cellphone video captured by witnesses showed a white police officer kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for several minutes before his death. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was subsequently fired and charged with murder.

George Floyd, shown here, died in police custody on May 25, 2020, sparking protests against police use of force.
Credit: Offices of Ben Crump Law

From Minneapolis, protests spread to practically every major city in the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois. Some law enforcement buildings were set on fire. In several cities, protesters raided or destroyed businesses. Protests began in cities outside the United States, too. In Berlin and London, for example, people marched through the streets in solidarity (unity) with American protesters.

Floyd’s death came in the wake of two other high-profile killings of African Americans at the hands of white people. On Feb. 3, 2020, in Georgia, an African American man named Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging. (Arbery’s killers were not law enforcement officers, but many people were angered when it took months of pressure for arrests to be made in the case.) On March 13, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky, an African American woman named Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers executing a search warrant, who broke into her home in the middle of the night.

Demonstrations throughout the world featured signs reading “Black Lives Matter.” This slogan has become a popular rallying cry in recent years. It is also the name of an activist movement. Black Lives Matter was formed to campaign against racism and what its members consider police brutality against African Americans.

The international protests were set against the backdrop of a pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Since March, much of the country has been under strict lockdown to help in social distancing. Protests led people out of their homes to demand justice, but some authorities worried that chaotic public gatherings could contribute to the further spread of the disease.

September 25, 2019

Since June 2019, massive protests have taken place in Hong Kong, a special administrative unit of China. The city and region of Hong Kong—located on a peninsula and group of islands—enjoy a high degree of autonomy (self-rule). Hong Kong maintains a free-enterprise economy within China’s Communist economic system. The “one country, two systems” relationship is not always a happy one, however, and the people of Hong Kong often resent being subjected to mainland China’s different rules.

Protesters face off with police in Hong Kong on June 12, 2019. Credit: © Dale De La Rey, Getty Images

In June 2019, the largest protests in Hong Kong’s history were triggered by a proposed bill that would have allowed people Hong Kong accused of crimes in to be extradited (handed over) to stand trial in mainland Chinese courts. (Hong Kong also has a separate legal system from the rest of China.) More than a million people participated in the protests. The protesters believed the extradition bill endangered their rights. Hong Kong police clashed with the protesters, who also called for democratic reforms, and many people were arrested or injured. Protesters then added investigations into police brutality to their demands.

Click to view larger image
Hong Kong region.
Credit: WORLD BOOK map

On June 15, the Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (Hong Kong’s governor) suspended the proposed extradition bill, but massive protests continued the next day as more than 2 million people took to the streets. (Hong Kong’s entire population is 7.4 million.) The unrest continued into July as protesters stormed the Hong Kong parliament, ransacking offices and clashing with police. In reaction, pro-Communist government gangs attacked some pro-democracy protesters. Many people were hurt in the confrontations, and hundreds of people were arrested.

The Hong Kong metropolitan area lies on both sides of Victoria Harbour. It includes the northern coast of Hong Kong Island, foreground, and the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, background. Credit: © Leung Chopan, Shutterstock

Amid rising tensions in August, protesters began crowding into police stations as well as into busy Hong Kong International Airport, which was forced to close for several days. Fears of Chinese military intervention—with flashes back to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989—rose as the army paraded in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. Those fears went unrealized, however, and although standoffs between protesters and police continued, violent episodes were relatively rare considering the massive numbers of people involved.

In early September, Chief Executive Lam formally withdrew the extradition bill that ignited the protests. But unrest lingers as the people of Hong Kong continue to push for greater democratic freedoms, universal suffrage (the right to vote), and solutions to housing and land shortages in the densely populated metropolis.

The United Kingdom controlled Hong Kong from 1842 until 1997, when it returned to Chinese control. The “one country, two systems” relationship was created to safeguard the democratic freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong citizens under British rule. The Chinese government has eroded some of these freedoms, however, and pro-democracy protests have occurred—with much less intensity—in Hong Kong for the last several years.

September 20, 2017

Times have been tough for many Venezuelans in recent years, and times have only gotten tougher in 2017. The government of President Nicolás Maduro (in disputed power since 2013) proved as volatile as ever, threatening a number of “imperialist” adversaries (primarily, the United States) as well as many of the nation’s own citizens. As he has done before, Maduro pushed measures to broaden his own power, measures that were heavily criticized by nations around the world. On several occasions, protests against the Maduro administration turned violent, and clashes with security forces have killed hundreds of Venezuelans. Thousands of people have been arrested for supporting the “traitorous” opposition, and many still languish in jail cells without having been charged with a crime.

On May 20, 2017, people march in Caracas, Venezuela, to protest the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Credit: Voice of America

The chronically failing economy (inflation is hovering around 700 percent) has pushed people into ever-more-desperate poverty, driving some to crime and others to flee the country. Colombia, Venezuela’s neighbor to the west and closest national cousin, had to close the border to stop the flood of refugees, but several times the border has been temporarily opened to allow Venezuelans to purchase staple items such as chicken, rice, medicine, and toilet paper—items once scarce and now virtually extinct in many parts of Venezuela. In February 2017, the Peruvian government helped ease some of the pressure, granting 12-month work visas to some 6,000 Venezuelans. For Venezuela’s millions of other suffering citizens, however, there has been little to do but vent frustration.

At the end of March, President Maduro closed the opposition-dominated National Assembly (the main legislative body that has tried to remove Maduro from power). He then handed power to the Supreme Court of Justice—a body under Maduro’s direct supervision. Massive protests forced the reversal of this move, but dissatisfaction continued. During April and May, protests shut down parts of Caracas, the capital, and other cities. In July, millions of people walked off their jobs in a collaborative, nationwide strike that brought Venezuela to a standstill.

On July 30, several people were killed during a dubious election for posts on an assembly that will rewrite the nation’s constitution in Maduro’s favor. On a lighter note in September, Maduro’s “rabbit plan” (asking people to raise rabbits for food in the protein-strapped country) met ridicule and failure as the rabbit kits handed out were tied with bows and adopted as pets instead of being bred for future dinners.

June 10, 2016

Police confront protesters in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on June 8, 2016.
Credit: © PNGFM News/Reuters

On Wednesday, June 8, weeks of simmering protests in the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) boiled over, leading to clashes between students and police. At the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in Port Moresby, the capital, about 1,000 student protesters—who are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill over corruption charges—tried to march to Parliament House where they hoped to present a petition for O’Neill’s removal. Police barred their path, however, and—in a confusing confrontation—police opened fire on the students. Frightened students fled the gunfire, but not before several people were injured. PNG officials claim that several people were hurt, but that no one was killed. Opposition groups—and the students themselves—say that four people were killed and many more injured. Details remain unclear.

Regardless of the truth, the violence—as so often happens—spurred further violence. Angry UPNG students set fire to dormitories, blocked streets, and—according to police—even tried to burn down a police barracks. The unrest spread to the highland cities of Goroka and Mount Hagen, as well as Lae, PNG’s second-largest city. The nation’s top court ordered a halt to the protests, as well as an end to a long-running UPNG boycott of classes. The situation has quieted somewhat in recent days, but the undercurrent of anger and dissatisfaction remains combustible and close to the surface.

Prime Minister O’Neill has been accused of fraud and has dodged an arrest warrant on corruption charges since 2014. O’Neill has fired numerous public officials and government ministers who have opposed him, as well as the nation’s police commissioner and attorney general. He claims the charges against him are politically motivated and absolutely refuses to step down. Papua New Guinea has suffered from corruption and widespread poverty for many years.

March 15, 2016

Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 13, 2016. Brazilians take to the streets to demand the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and the arrest of former President Lula, who is accused of corruption. Credit: © Will Rodrigues, Shutterstock

Brazil has had a difficult year. On Sunday, March 13, more than a million Brazilians protested in the streets nationwide. Those Brazilians—most wearing the yellow color associated with the national flag and soccer team—were protesting against the nation’s president, Dilma Rousseff. Brazilians are angry with the government for a number of reasons. For two years, the nation has watched a corruption scandal unfold. The state-run oil company, Petrobras, has been caught handling bribes. In early March, a Brazilian judge sentenced Marcelo Odebrecht, the one-time head of Brazil’s largest construction company, to 19 years in prison for bribing senior executives at Petrobras. This money was then funneled through Petrobras to Brazilian politicians for campaign funds. Charges of corruption have not reached President Rousseff, but prosecutors are seeking the arrest of her predecessor and ally, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, concerning bribes that benefited his party.

Brazil has also been in an economic recession since the end of 2014. Last year, its economy contracted by almost 4 percent. Currently, Brazil’s inflation rate is over 10 percent and its unemployment rate is 9 percent. Working class Brazilians are struggling—Brazil’s economy has not been this weak since the 1930′s.

The Zika virus has also hit Brazil hard, both financially and emotionally. The outbreak of this mosquito-borne virus began in Brazil in April 2015. It had been endemic to Africa and Asia for decades, and it was thought to cause a relatively mild illness. Only when the outbreak began in Brazil did researchers begin to notice a possible correlation between Zika and microcephaly—unusually small head size in infants, which can hinder brain development. Brazil, which had reported some 200 cases of microcephaly in 2014, reported more than 4,000 cases over the last 12 months. Researchers are working to find the link between the virus and microcephaly. Doctors at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were concerned enough about the link to advise pregnant women not to travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 summer Olympics.

All of these problems have hit Brazil hard financially, and that has hindered Brazil’s preparations for the Olympic Games, which will be held in August. For example, Brazil had promised International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials that they would clean up Guanabara Bay, a large bay connected to the Atlantic Ocean that is heavily polluted with sewage and garbage. Canoeing, rowing, sailing, and swimming events will all take place in this bay or adjoining rivers. Brazil is too strapped for cash to make any real headway on an environmental cleanup of this size in the amount of time remaining before the Olympic Games.

A discarded sofa litters the shore of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As part of its Olympic bid, Brazil promised to build eight treatment facilities to filter out much of the sewage and prevent tons of household trash from flowing into the Guanabara Bay. Only one treatment facility has been built. Tons of household trash line the coastline and form islands of refuse. Credit: © Silvia Izquierdo, AP Photo

Other Behind the headline articles

• Travelers Warned of Zika Virus (January 19, 2016)
• WHO Declares Global Zika Virus Emergency (February 3, 2016I 

(January 19, 2016)