Photos circulated widely on social media on Thursday morning depicting a pair of banners hung in central Beijing expressing objections to the Chinese government’s policies—a rare sign of public discontent in China, which heavily censors views critical of the ruling Communist Party and President Xi Jinping.

The banners on the Sitong Bridge overlooking Beijing’s Third Ring Road in the city’s Haidian district displayed messages criticizing Xi’s personal power and the government’s highly restrictive “zero-COVID” lockdown policies. “Say no to COVID test, yes to food,” one read. “No to lockdown, yes to freedom. No to lies, yes to dignity. No to ‘cultural revolution,’ yes to reform. No to ‘great leader,’ yes to vote. Don’t be a slave, be a citizen.”

“Go on strike, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping,” read the other. Video footage of the banners—swiftly scrubbed from the Chinese internet but still available on Western platforms, including Twitter—also recorded a man wearing an orange suit on the bridge, playing protest slogans over a loudspeaker.

The banners were removed from the bridge by mid-afternoon, and video clips showed Chinese police arresting the man without resistance. According to CNN, security forces patrolled the area for the rest of the day and several other bridge overpasses in the area. The Chinese government has not yet commented on the incident.

In the hours after the protest banners were erected, Chinese social media networks instituted new censorship measures, blocking terms including “Sitong Bridge,” “Beijing,” “Haidian,” “brave man,” and “courage.” Several accounts on Weibo and WeChat, two social media networks widely used in China, were also suspended after sharing information about the banners. Despite the restrictions, several Chinese netizens continued to obliquely reference the protest, writing “I saw it” without elaborating and sharing a Chinese pop song titled “Lonely Warrior” about the arrested demonstrator.

The protest appears linked to the Communist Party’s upcoming Twentieth Party Congress, at which Xi Jinping is almost certain to be elected to a third term in power—laying the groundwork for him to become China’s longest-serving leader since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Before the congress, party officials abolished China’s two-term limit, potentially allowing Xi, aged sixty-nine, to remain in office for life.

Xi has governed China since 2012. During his tenure, the country has pursued a more assertive role in international affairs. Xi is widely credited with introducing “wolf warrior diplomacy,” a combative diplomacy style emphasizing competition with the United States and the West.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.