About two dozen police patrolled a busy Beijing intersection on Thursday after photos and videos circulated of a rare protest attacking Chinese President Xi Jinping, just days before a crucial Communist Party meeting.
At least a half dozen photos and videos on social media from different angles showed two unfurled banners across the Sitong Bridge in northwestern Beijing, along with smoke rising from a fire. They took aim directly at Xi, criticizing his restrictive Covid-19 policies of lockdowns and mass testing.
