Across China, some of the fiercest and most intense protests against the strict COVID-19 measures and restrictions are being recorded. The government has blocked live footage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar to avoid further angry reactions from citizens. Controlling and broadcasting it on national Sports channels with a delay of 30 seconds.
“So, I thought it was BS that China’s govt broadcaster was censoring shots of fans at the World Cup due to lockdown anger back home. But it’s true. Here are live feeds from SBS & CCTV (which has a 32-second delay). “ Dreyer China explained, CCTV avoids crowd close-ups.
“Here’s the Canadian goal from the same match. The int’l feed everyone else gets shows fans close up. CCTV switches out those shots with feeds of coaches or wide shots. Watched two games – very obvious. It’s imperfect, though.” He added.
China Central Television (CCTV) has refused to show footage of maskless fans cheering for their favorite teams with zero legal, social distance between them. Because while most of the world has moved past the pandemic lockdown phase, China is back at ground zero under similar strict restrictions that resulted from the sudden outbreak of COVID-19.
“This is amazing. Due to the backlash from Chinese fans seeing unmasked crowds in Qatar, Chinese TV is now replacing live crowds shots during games and instead cutting to close-ups of players and coaches.” Mark Dreyer said.
According to Chinese netizens, at a time when they are not even allowed to get together with their families and enjoy the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they are forced to abide by the COVID lockdown restrictions. It felt “weird” to see thousands of people standing inside the stadium without face masks, guarded by professionals in white and blue uniforms.
“There have been widespread reports about Chinese fans reacting — none too happily — to [thousands] of unmasked fans gathering daily in Qatar, while back in China, many people are stuck watching at home,” Dreyer revealed as people expressed their disappointment in the Chinese Government on WeChat after seeing the opening ceremony of the World Cup, “about 80,000 people in the stadium and hardly a mask in sight.”
Some areas of China are still under lockdown, with residents forced to undergo daily Covid tests following the Chinese government’s claim that the country is 100% Covid-19 proof. All of these restrictions under President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy have been causing outrage among the people of the Republic of China for some time now. They have led to people taking to the streets, protesting, and calling for politicians to resign.
This mass protest and disobedience is a scene that is not often witnessed in mainland China. And with the police and President Xi collapsing over public disagreements, the current crisis is deepening. According to the government, the lockdown is an imperative measure that must be taken to secure a life-saving policy so as not to overwhelm the country’s healthcare system.
