Frightening ordeal as Sky News team forced into cars and camera seized - with dissent in China rising dramatically

On 12 January 2026, Sky News correspondent Helen‑Ann Smith reported a tense scene at Yi Li Sheng’s headphone factory in Shenzhen, where workers—striking for higher pay after outsourcing cuts—clad in blue overalls had their protests suppressed by police who seized the crew’s cameras and forced them into cars. The incident unfolds amid a broader upsurge of dissent, with the China Dissent Monitor (CDM) – an arm of Freedom House – recording over 5,000 protest cases in 2025, up 48 % from 2024, 85 % driven by economic grievances. A single worker noted her wages at 1,900 RMB (£200), insufficient to survive in Shenzhen’s high cost of living. The crackdown echoes recent violent clashes in Jiangyou, Sichuan, and highlights China’s tightening of civic space.