UW Students Protest China’s Zero-COVID Policy After Deadly Ürümqi Fire

By Matthew Robi

On Monday night, around 100 Chinese and Hong Kong international students gathered outside the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington to protest China’s zero-COVID policy, following a deadly apartment fire in Ürümqi that sparked national outcry.

The Nov. 24 fire, which broke out in a high-rise residential building in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, claimed the lives of at least 10 people, according to Chinese state media. Local witnesses, however, allege the death toll was more than 30. Among the victims were reportedly elderly residents and children.

Public frustration erupted after reports suggested that pandemic-related lockdown measures — including sealed apartment exits and barricaded roads — may have delayed emergency response efforts. Videos circulated on Chinese social media appeared to show fire trucks blocked by barriers and gates reinforced with metal plates.

The incident intensified scrutiny of President Xi Jinping’s strict zero-COVID policy, which has been in place since early 2020 and involves mass testing, forced quarantines, and severe lockdowns. In Ürümqi, officials denied that restrictions hindered the rescue, but public anger surged across the country.

At UW, students handed out pamphlets outlining the events in Xinjiang and describing China’s growing censorship in the wake of the protests.

“The Chinese government is censoring all information and arresting supporters,” one flyer read. “Crowds in China are holding up blank pages in protest. If nothing is allowed to be said, then saying nothing is saying everything.”

The flyers also referenced a rallying cry from the 2019 Hong Kong protests: “Five Demands, Not One Less.” Originally rooted in opposition to a controversial extradition bill, the demands have come to represent a wider struggle for civil rights. They read:

1. Full withdrawal of the extradition bill

2. A commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality

3. Retraction of the classification of protesters as “rioters”

4. Amnesty for arrested protesters

5. Dual universal suffrage — for both the Legislative Council and the President

Though specific to Hong Kong at the time, students said these demands reflect broader aspirations for democracy and justice across China and among the Chinese diaspora.

The demonstration was led by a masked organizer wearing a yellow firefighter’s helmet, who requested anonymity due to concerns for personal safety. He identified himself only as “a man from Hong Kong pursuing democracy.”

“In 2019, Hong Kong students gathered at PolyU, and decades ago, college students filled Tiananmen Square,” he said. “Now we remember them and keep fighting. We don’t want a dictator. We want democracy. We want freedom. We are citizens, not slaves.”

He emphasized that Chinese students abroad — despite language barriers and physical distance — can still be a voice for those silenced back home.

To end the night, the crowd waved phone flashlights in the air and sang 《海闊天空》 (Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies), a 1993 anthem by the Hong Kong rock band Beyond. The ballad has become a symbol of pro-democracy movements. Its chorus translates to:

“Forgive me for being indulgent and loving freedom all my life. Even if one day I fall, I won’t abandon my ideals. I won’t be afraid — even if one day there’s just you and me.”

As the final lyrics echoed across Red Square, students stood quietly in the cold — somber, reflective, but united.