(Bloomberg) -- China's Covid protesters are turning to a non-confrontational tactic in a bid to get their message of discontent across while trying not to run afoul of the law: holding up blank sheets of paper in public spaces like street corners, metro stations and city centers.
After all, what could be more innocent than a blank sheet of paper? It turns out, authorities often find even that gesture offensive.
The use of blank paper as a symbol of discontent caught on in Hong Kong during protests against the national security law passed in 2020, following widespread street demonstrations a year earlier. The law -- pushed by Beijing -- established a raft of penalties meant to clamp down on public displays of opposition to Communist Party rule in the former British colony.
By holding up blank sheets of paper, protesters reasoned they couldn't be accused of expressing any messages deemed to be secessionist.
See Where Covid Protests Have Occurred so Far
Their strategy was also used in the UK to protest against arrests of members of the public in September for attempting to disrupt the ceremonies for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. Demonstrators also used it in Russia to protest against the country's invasion of Ukraine, with arrests being made.
Such is the level of interest -- and scrutiny -- in the latest paper protests that a Chinese stationery manufacturer, Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc., denied in an exchange filing Monday that it issued an “emergency notice” halting the sale of its A4 sheets, after a purported picture of it went viral, and said it has made a police report.
Peaceful or not, such protests have largely failed to deter a response from the authorities in China. Demonstrators in cities like Hangzhou and Beijing's Tsinghua University have been filmed being approached by police for demonstrating, although it is unclear if they were arrested.
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