Thin blue square: video shows apparent Chinese police drill against protester

INTERNATIONAL DESK: How many police officers does it take to neutralise a single unarmed protester? According to a video purported to be from China, it takes at least 10 highly disciplined members of law enforcement, as well as some bespoke blue banners.

In footage that emerged on Thursday, black-clad officers are shown practising a drill to surround a single person holding up a white piece of paper – an item that became the symbol of the anti-lockdown protests that rocked several major Chinese cities at the end of last year, and the demonstrations against the security laws imposed on Hong Kong in 2020.

The white papers are a nod to rampant censorship, as Chinese people cannot write slogans on protest signs without fear of arrest.

The drill appears to be taking place in a public square. Members of the public have stopped to observe as officers rush forward in pairs to surround the model protester with large blue banners, completely obscuring him from view. The banner-holders then disperse to reveal a protester held on each side by an officer, no white paper in sight.

The Guardian could not independently verify the the video, or where it was filmed. The logo on the banners matches that of mainland China’s police, and one observing officer in a blue shirt wears standard police uniform.

The video was shared on Twitter by an account called Mr Li is not your teacher, which is run by a man surnamed Li, a Chinese artist based in Italy. His account became prominent during last year’s protests after he started sharing videos and pictures from the demonstrations that were either censored on Chinese social media, or which people were afraid to post themselves because of potential repercussions from the authorities.

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