OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:22 AM PT – Tuesday, November 29, 2022
The White House has responded to the anti-lockdown protests in China. The White House has expressed their support for the ongoing protests in China regarding the country’s zero-COVID policy.
When speaking at a White House press briefing on Monday, National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby reaffirmed the Biden administration’s support of the protesters.
This comes after they released a statement criticizing China’s COVID policies.
“This is, I think, a moment to reassert what we believe in when it comes to free assembly and peaceful protest,” Kirby said. “And we’ve done that and will continue to do that, whether it’s the people protesting in Iran or China or anywhere else around the world. Nothing has changed about the president’s firm belief in the power of democracy and democratic institutions and how important that is.”
However, the current administration has a history of condemning similar protests in the past.
Earlier this year, during the Freedom Convoy protests in Canada, Joe Biden reportedly pressured Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to put a swift end to the demonstration. According to reports, Biden stressed that the truckers could move to Washington D.C. and disrupt major events such as the Super bowl.
Trudeau nearly went to war with the convoy, with many of them being arrested or having their names being given to Canadian banks in an effort to affect their finances.
“Highlighting that these are not rational actors, they are conspiracy theorists,” Trudeau said. “And he was concerned, as we were, that the invocation of the Emergencies Act could have people who were irrational overreact.”
Additionally, the White House condemned the people’s convoy when they drove into the Capital to protest COVID-19 policies such as mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. In response to the truckers, over 700 National Guard troops were called in to help stem the flow of traffic once the convoy arrived.
Then Press Secretary Jen Psaki chimed in on the protest saying they were “wrong and dangerous.”
“We are well aware that there is a loud and vocal minority empowered through social media and media platforms that proliferate disinformation, politicians who espouse conspiracy theories and fundraise off of opposition to public health,” she said. “We know that. We also know that 87% of American adults have at least one shot. That’s the vast, vast majority. And over 210 million Americans are fully vaccinated. So, our view is that it’s wrong, it’s dangerous and it stands in the way of a coordinated effort to save more American lives.”
In the meantime, the White House has come out and said they are monitoring the situation in China.
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