Protests swept across China over the weekend in response to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy and an apartment fire in Urumqi that killed 10 people, The Associated Press reported.

“It was really sparked by the fire in Urumqi. So, China has sort of a practice in its ‘zero-COVID’ policy of when it locks down cities or buildings. Lots of times it’ll erect barricades or sometimes even lock or weld people inside,” Michael Cunningham, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an interview. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)

“And so we’re not sure if any of that happened, but there’s a public perception that that was probably the case, and that that’s one of the reasons why so many people died in that fire,” Cunningham said. “Now, what was surprising about it, though, was that protests just erupted.”

Here are some photos documenting the historic protests throughout the communist nation and the world:

Protesters shout slogans during a protest against China’s strict zero-COVID-19 measures Nov. 28, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Protesters light candles and leave cigarettes at a memorial during a protest against China’s strict zero-COVID-19 measures Nov. 27, 2022 in Beijing. (Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
A man is arrested while people gather on a street in Shanghai Nov. 27, 2022, where protests against China’s zero-COVID-19 policy took place the night before following a deadly fire in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region. (Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images)
People hold sheets of paper in protest of COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China during a vigil in the central district Nov. 28, 2022, in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China’s harsh COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing Nov. 28, 2022. (Photo: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)
People sing slogans while gathering on a street in Shanghai Nov. 27, 2022, where protests against China’s zero-COVID-19 policy took place the night before following a deadly fire in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region. (Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images)
A protester covers their face with a mask and holds up a white sign in protest Nov. 28, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo: Tamati Smith/Getty Images)
People hold sheets of blank paper and flowers in protest of COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China as police set up cordon during a vigil in the central district Nov. 28, 2022, in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
A fire truck passes as a small group of protesters who hold up blank white pieces of paper in protest directly across the street from the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo Nov. 28, 2022, in support of demonstrations held in China over Beijing’s COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo: Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty Images)
People hold sheets of blank paper and flowers in protest of COVID-19 restriction in mainland China as police set up cordon during a vigil in the central district Nov. 28, 2022, in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
People hold sheets of blank paper in protest of COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China during a vigil in the central district Nov. 28, 2022, in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
People hold sheets of blank paper in protest of COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China as police set up cordon during a vigil in the central district Nov. 28, 2022, in Hong Kong. (Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China’s harsh COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing Nov. 28, 2022. (Photo: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)
Protesters and police gather during a protest against China’s strict zero-COVID-19 measures Nov. 28, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Protesters march by a police cruiser during a protest against China’s strict zero-COVID-19 measures Nov. 27, 2022, in Beijing,. (Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Students light candles on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in solidarity with protests held on the mainland over Beijing’s COVID-19 restrictions in Hong Kong Nov. 28, 2022. (Photo: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

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