A rare protest against Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken place in China ahead of a historic Communist Party congress.

The rally in Beijing’s northwestern Haidian district on Thursday was swiftly ended by police and security personnel in scenes that went viral online.

But not before demonstrators unfurled banners bearing several slogans on a bridge.

One banner read: “Overthrow the dictator and thief of the country Xi Jinping.”

Another called for an end to strict COVID-19 policies.

“We don’t want COVID tests, we want to eat; we don’t want lockdowns, we want to be free,” it read.

Photos and footage of the protest on Twitter – which is blocked in China – showed black smoke rising from the bridge, and a man could be heard chanting slogans.

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When a Sky News team arrived at the scene, they saw dozens of police standing on all four corners of the crossing intersection under the bridge.

There were around 30 uniformed police with more plain-clothed security officers nearby.

The incident comes at a very sensitive time in the Chinese capital, with authorities on high alert in the run-up to the 20th congress of the ruling Communist Party on Sunday, where President Xi is expected to secure a third leadership term.

China’s zero-COVID policy, which has led to frequent lockdowns and caused heavy economic damage, has fuelled widespread frustration in Chinese cities.

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Searches on China’s heavily censored internet yielded no results – but some indirect references to the protest could be found, according to the Reuters news agency.

“There was a brave person in Beijing today,” one user wrote, adding several thumbs up and roses emojis of support.

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