Disturbing scenes as Shanghai's locked down residents revolt
Alarming video is continuing to emerge from locked down Shanghai as residents' anger over their treatment reaches breaking point.
Beijing's tight grasp over social media content is being put to the test, working overtime to remove disturbing content from platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.
In one video that has since spread to Western sites shows a wall of hazmat suit-clad pandemic workers facing a crowd of angry residents demanding supplies.
The group chants repeatedly in the faces of the unflinching workers.
The clip, believed to be filmed at a community in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, epitomises the growing discontent from fatigued residents who are facing food and water shortages.
In a remarkable and rare move for the Chinese Communist Party, Shanghai's vice mayor Zong Ming admitted to failing the public on Saturday.
"A lot of our work has not been enough, and there's still a big gap from everyone's expectations," he said, vowing to improve their efforts.
A seperate video believed to be from the same area shows three workers repeatedly beating a civilian. The video shows the person being kicked, punched and hit with a stick several times.
The circumstances around the video are unclear.
It's one of many unverified clips filtering onto social media which appear to offer an astonishing glimpse into the crisis that is unfolding, as well as the cracks that are emerging in what was once a watertight Covid strategy.
One striking photo circulating shows an old man pinned under a sign with soldiers and a pandemic worker keeping him held down. Another video shows desperate residents reportedly looting supplies.
China rejects foreign commentary on Shanghai lockdown
President Xi Jinping insists there is no other option but to pursue its draconian and relentless Covid-zero approach, yet residents are uniting to show a level of resistance rarely seen in his nine-year reign.
Almost 25,000 new Covid-19 cases were announced in the city on Sunday, with no end in sight for the intense lockdown.
The alarming scenes emerging from the mega city has prompted alarm in the West, with the US allowing consulate workers and families to leave the city.
Chinese state media has accused the West of a smear campaign over Shanghai's predicament, saying media and some politicians are using it as another excuse to criticise Beijing.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China was facing "groundless accusations" from the US over its handling of the pandemic and firmly rejected external commentary.
One of the more controversial moves to receive criticism overseas was the removal of children, including babies, from their families if Covid positive.
In another incident that triggered widespread alarm, a pandemic worker was seen killing a pet dog with a spade after its owners were taken into quarantine.
An official claimed there were fears the dog may have contracted the virus.
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