(Video) Peking University fences off college dorms, fueling fresh outcry

Authorities battling Beijing’s latest Covid outbreak have installed fences outside the college dorms of Peking University’s Wanliu Campus, sparking fresh outcry from students over the lockdown which restricted their movement.

The fences appeared on Sunday night without warning outside the students’ dormitories, where those inside were forbidden from leaving. Students were also barred from ordering takeaway food and restricted from accessing the school campus.

However, the dormitories for university teaching staff were not included in the lockdown.

The sudden lockdown has led to a student protest and an angry petition to university officials, condemning the university’s harsh lockdown measures and its unfair treatment.

One video showed the students shouting at Chen Baojian, vice president of Peking University, as he was trying to calm the students down.

Chen can be heard telling students to first return to their dormitories, promising students he would visit them “room after room” to address their concerns.

However, students were not buying it and insisted the fences must go before they return to their dormitories. It was said that some students decided to take matters into their own hands and pushed over a few metal fences.

Chen later told the crowd that he agreed to remove the fences, and called on students to “stop recording to protect the university”, but the students responded that the recording was to protect themselves.

It was understood that the crowd dispersed shortly after 11pm, while student representatives pleaded to the university officials for no retribution on students involved in the protest.

Videos and topics related to the incident were since censored across Chinese social media platforms.