Protests in China against the country’s tough “Covid zero” policy are shattering the “myth” of a “harmonious society” and showing deep dissatisfaction with the government, a former student leader who took part in the Tiananmen Square protests said on Thursday, AFP reported. .

COVID in ChinaPhoto: Andy Wong/AP/Profimedia

“For the past 30 years, there was a myth that the younger generation or the middle class was really happy with the government, but these protests show us the truth,” said Wang Dan, who fled to the United States after the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen in 1989 and since then he lived in exile.

“The truth is that it is not a harmonious society (…) there are already many conflicts between society and the government in China,” Wang added at a press conference in Tokyo.

He said the unrest would continue and could mark a new “era of protests.”

Outrage over China’s “Covid zero” policy, which involves repeated work stoppages, near-daily PCR tests and quarantines even for uninfected people, has led to protests since the end of the week in several major cities in the country, including Beijing, eastern Shanghai, southern Guangzhou and central Wuhan.

But protesters also called for broader political reforms, with some even calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping.

“The first feeling that came to my mind when I saw the incredible protests in China was that the spirit of 1989 had returned 33 years later,” Wang said.

“Watching the video of Chinese students chanting ‘give me freedom or give me death’ brought tears and hope to me,” he said.

Wang Dan was a 20-year-old student during the Tiananmen Movement, which ended with tanks and government troops being sent in to crush peaceful protesters.

He was placed on the Chinese government’s most wanted list and imprisoned before being exiled to the United States.

According to Wang, the protests are a “heavy blow” to Xi Jinping’s reputation just weeks into his third term.

He believes that Xi will eventually decide to take drastic measures because he cannot afford to let things get out of hand.