A fire broke out in the Jixiangyuan Community in Urumqi City on the evening of November 24. It is suspected that excessive closures prevented residents from escaping and rescue, causing casualties. Officials said 10 people were killed and 9 were injured. The incident triggered people in many parts of the country to mourn the dead, and triggered a series of demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with the epidemic prevention and control policy. In Hong Kong, dozens of citizens held up white papers in Central this evening (28th).
Many citizens also placed flowers, candles, and greeting cards at the scene. Some people wrote on paper, “People come first, life comes first, rest in peace” and “We deeply mourn 11.23 Urumqi.” Some of the words were written in simplified characters.
Many police officers were on guard at the scene. During the period, they pulled up orange belts to intercept those who held up white papers, and used loudspeakers to warn those present that they might violate the gathering restriction order. At about 8:00 p.m., when social movement frequenter “Grandma Wang” held up her umbrella and shouted slogans, a man suddenly rushed forward, snatched Granny Wang’s umbrella and threw it on the ground, and Granny Wang was also pushed to the ground. The police bring the police car.
