Chinese Artist and Activist Brother Nut Is Taking a Vow of Silence to Protest Government Censorship of Coronavirus Data

Chinese performance artist and activist Brother Nut, age 39, is using silence to send a message opposing government censorship, particularly with regard to the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of a new project he’s calling #shutupfor30days, Brother Nut kept his mouth closed for 30 days, sealing his lips in different ways—with metal clasps, gloves, and a surgical face mask reading “shut up.” In a reference to China’s widespread blocking of internet content, Brother Nut also wore packing tape with the “404 error” code that comes up when a website can’t be found.

China has been widely criticized for possibly covering up the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early days of the outbreak, police arrested Chinese doctor Li Wenliang and forced him to confess to “spreading rumors” when he alerted colleagues to the deadly new virus. Li later died of the disease.

Chinese performance artist and activist Brother Nut, age 39, is using silence to send a message opposing government censorship, particularly with regard to the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of a new project he’s calling #shutupfor30days, Brother Nut kept his mouth closed for 30 days, sealing his lips in different ways—with metal clasps, gloves, and a surgical face mask reading “shut up.” In a reference to China’s widespread blocking of internet content, Brother Nut also wore packing tape with the “404 error” code that comes up when a website can’t be found.

China has been widely criticized for possibly covering up the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the early days of the outbreak, police arrested Chinese doctor Li Wenliang and forced him to confess to “spreading rumors” when he alerted colleagues to the deadly new virus. Li later died of the disease.

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