Beijing, February 15 Hundreds of pensioners protested in the central Chinese city of Wuhan today against alleged cuts to their social benefits, according to videos shared on social media.
The images, still available on international services like Twitter -censored in China-, circulated on local social networks like Weibo or Douyin (the Chinese version of Tiktok) before being deleted.
Searching for the word “Wuhan” on Weibo no longer returns any results related to the protests, as is often the case on Chinese networks in the event of protests or social unrest.
Videos show groups of retirees gathered near a city park surrounded by a heavy police presence.
The protests are rooted in cuts to social benefits for the city’s elderly, who have had their monthly medical allowance reduced.
This reduction is part of a reform initiated by several Chinese localities of the health care reimbursement system.
Last weekend, Wuhan authorities explained on a government website that, thanks to the reform, the reduction in the amount transferred to pensioners is more than offset by greater healthcare coverage.
However, similar protests against the cut in health payments have also taken place in the past few hours in the northeastern city of Dalian, according to reports on international social media. EFE
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