Gov. Ron DeSantis condemns China’s ‘zero COVID’ policies, ‘draconian’ lockdowns

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has backed the protestors in China who are protesting against their government’s zero-COVID strategy.

On Tuesday DeSantis said the people of China are “right” to speak out and protest lockdowns and abuses of human rights which he said the Chinese Communist Party were responsible.

DeSantis addressed the media and said that China’s policies are “draconian,” “unscientific” and “violates people’s liberties.” 

“This CCP has a maniacal desire to exert total control over its population,” DeSantis said, adding that China’s “zero COVID” policy should “go to the ash heap of history where they belong.”

DeSantis also targeted Apple in his statement, saying that they are guilty of “providing aid and comfort” to the CCP and criticized the company for “threatening to remove Twitter from the app store because Elon Musk is actually opening it up for free speech.” 

“That would be a huge, huge mistake, and it would be a really raw exercise of monopolistic power that I think would merit a response from the United States Congress.”

He added, “Don’t be a vassal of the CCP on one hand and then use your corporate power in the United States on the other to suffocate Americans and try to suppress their right to express themselves.”

The protests started after an apartment complex in the far-west region of the country caught on fire and 10 people, who were locked in their apartments, died.

Protesters took their message streets across the country to demand pandemic restrictions be eased, while others even called for the resignation President Xi Jinping. Violent clashes between police and protesters have been posted online by witnesses.

President Biden’s administration has commented on the unrest in China, saying that “the White House supports the right of peaceful protest.”