UN Supports China Covid Demonstrators' Right to Protest

The United Nations says it supports demonstrators' right to protest over China's COVID policies.

"We believe in the importance of people's right to peaceful assembly and association, their right to demonstrate peacefully, and urge the authorities to guarantee that right," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

Crowds angered by severe anti-virus restrictions are calling for leader Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades.

Authorities have eased some controls after demonstrations in at least eight mainland cities and Hong Kong. But they showed no sign of backing off their larger "zero-COVID" strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes for months at a time.

Security forces have detained an unknown number of people and stepped up surveillance.

With police out in force, there was no word of protests Tuesday in Beijing, Shanghai or other major mainland cities.

A small group gathered at a university in Hong Kong.