Rare protest scenes ahead of major China event: 'Dictatorial traitor'

Just days out from a pivotal moment for the Chinese government, there has been rare public demonstrations against the increasingly totalitarian leader of the country.

Xi Jinping is expected to tighten his grip over the Chinese Communist Party at the party's upcoming national congress which kicks off on Sunday, but his control over the typically obsequious public is showing signs of fraying.

Beijing authorities were forced to remove banners of political protest from an overpass in the Chinese capital on Thursday, just days out from the conference which is held every five years.

The banners contained various disparaging anti-government messages, hitting out at the country's strict Covid measures and calling for the ousting of "dictator" and "traitor" Xi Jinping.

"We need food, not Covid tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns," the sign read, referencing China's strict zero-Covid-19 policy.

"We want dignity, not lies. We need reform, no cultural revolution," the white banner continued in red letters."

The protesters also called for democratic reforms in a country that has becoming increasingly autocratic under the rule of Xi Jinping who came to power in 2012.

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"We want to vote, not a leader. Don't be slaves, be citizens," the banner said.

According to a translation by the ABC, the sign included a very rare call to overthrow the Chinese president.

"Let us strike from schools and from work and remove the dictatorial traitor Xi Jinping," it said.

Smoke was also set off at the protest, drawing attention to the action at the busy intersection.

Photos which quickly circulated on social media showed people stopping on the side of the road, reading the banners.

Over a megaphone, a voice demanded "Oust dictator Xi Jinping," as could be heard on video footage circulating on social media.

Police could also be seen taking one person into custody and loading him into a van while the banner was cleared away.

The week-long party congress at the Great Hall of the People is being held under tight security, for which a large contingent of police officers has been mobilised.

Thousands of members of neighbourhood committees are also controlling residential areas and pavements with red armbands.

In the lead-up to the event, the governing party has been ramping up its propaganda in what the ABC's China correspondent Bill Birtles described as "scenes looking more and more like North Korea".

After the protest, the search term "Sitong Bridge", where the protest took place, was blocked on the Chinese Twitter-like social media service Weibo with videos and images of the demonstration also reportedly scrubbed.

with wires

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