Chinese feminists barred from social media after criticising Donald Trump

Group banned from Sina Weibo six days after posting translation of article calling for a 'militant feminist struggle' in answer to Trump's policies

'It is part of a public opinion war and a battle for influence in China' (Li Maizi)

A popular feminist social media account in China has been gagged, apparently for voicing opposition to Donald Trump.

The Feminist Voice in China has been banned from Sina Weibo, a website similar to Twitter, for allegedly violating Chinese law.

The punishment came six days after the group posted a translation of a Guardian article, written by US-based feminist academics, which called for a “militant feminist struggle” in answer to the US President’s “aggressively misogynistic, homophobic, ‘transphobic’ and racist” policies.

“We are guessing that it’s because we sent out some tweets calling for a women’s strike action against Trump,” said Feminist Voice editor Xiong King, speaking to Radio Free Asia.

“We have had large numbers of posts deleted in the past, but this is the first time we have been completely prevented from posting.

“The manager at Sina Weibo said we had broken the law, or regulations, and that we were being prevented from posting for 30 days, but they weren't very specific.”

Ms Xiong said Weibo sent a private message, saying the account, which boasts 80,000 followers, was temporarily blocked.

Weibo reportedly blamed “recent publications [that] violated the state’s relevant laws”.

Li Maizi, a leading figure in China’s feminist movement, also told The Independent: “I think the major reason is the authorities need to control the public opinion on Weibo.

"Nowadays, there are a lot of feminism public accounts on Weibo and Wechat. Feminism Voices (The Feminist Voice in China) is one of the most powerful accounts, calling for people to care about various feminism issues, and [it is] very effective. But in the authorities' eyes, there are too many active accounts among Weibo, so it's not good for controlling."

Beijing-based feminist activist Ye Haiyan also told RFA the ban was part of an ever-widening crackdown on rights activists and human rights lawyers nationwide.

China’s Communist Party and military have previously admitted to waging an ideological war online, which has included censoring social media.

Nervousness has also surrounded the seemingly uneasy relationship between China and Donald Trump’s America.

The property magnate has blamed China for creating a global warming “hoax” and for stealing jobs in the US.

The 70-year-old broke with decades of protocol when he accepted a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, and angered Beijing by questioning the “one China” principle.

His chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly claimed war between US and China in the South China Sea was inevitable within 10 years.

The Independent has contacted Weibo for comment.