October 1st marked the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. There were demonstrations in many places in the UK, including the capital London. Hundreds of groups oppressed by the CCP went to the Chinese Embassy to protest. They called for continued pressure on the British government and demanded tough treatment of China.
In London, England, Hong Kong people, Tibetans, Uyghurs and other groups jointly held a rally and march to protest the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Nearly 500 people participated.
On Sunday, demonstrations were held across the UK, including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham and other places where Hong Kong residents live.
The organizers of the London demonstrations called on participants to gather in Trafalgar Square in the city center at 3 pm. Later, they were transferred to the nearby St Martin-in-the-Fields church (St Martin-in-the-Fields) due to other activities on site. . Afterwards, they marched to the Chinese Embassy in the UK, 1.4 miles away.
During the march, the demonstrators shouted slogans, referring to “China is shameful” and “China lie, people die” (China lie, people die), and called for the return of freedom to Hong Kong people, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.
After arriving at the Chinese Embassy, some demonstrators tore up the Chinese flag, trampled it with their feet, and threw it on the road for cars to run over. During the demonstration, a white man who supported the Chinese Communist Party came to the scene to provoke and was taken away by the police.
Demonstrations attract attention
Liu Zudi, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who attended the demonstration, told VOA that the demonstrations can amplify their voices. For example, he pointed to the recent “raid” by demonstrators at a China National Day reception, which attracted the attention of local British media.
He also pointed out that their demonstrations against the Beijing Winter Olympics two years ago created pressure and successfully forced the British government to decide on a diplomatic boycott.
He said: “So this is the power of every bit, and we hope to awaken the British public. Just now we marched from Trafalgar Square and St. Martin’s Church, which were very crowded, and there were many people taking pictures along the way. I believe This is a great opportunity to raise awareness among the British public.”
Rahima Mahmut, the British director of the World Uyghur Congress, told VOA that both the British Parliament and the Uyghur Special Tribunal have determined that the Uyghurs face “genocide.” She believes The British government should also do the same, handle it in accordance with international law, and impose sanctions on crimes such as torture, forced labor, and forced family separation.
calls for continued pressure
The British government hopes to strengthen trade with China in recent months and has increased exchanges of official visits. Mahmut said that British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (also translated as Qi Zhanming)’s visit to China was “shameful” and that it was a difficult struggle for Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kong people.
She said: “We understand the power of China, because some countries are economically dependent on China. However, we cannot lose hope. We must continue to fight, continue to fight more forcefully, and we must unite all the people we can unite, different groups , different parties, different religions, we need more voices and more people to put pressure on this government to do things.”
But at the same time, the British Permanent Mission to the United Nations held an event to focus on Hong Kong’s press freedom during the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and invited Lai Chong-en, the son of Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, to give a speech.
Liu Zudi described the current relationship between Britain and China as “very delicate”. The approach of the British Foreign Office and the Department of Commerce and Trade is uncoordinated. While strengthening trade, some officials also show toughness towards China.
He said: “Does visiting China mean anything? If we look at the example of Australia, I don’t think it actually means anything. In many cases it is just a symbolic courtesy. Even the United States has had different officials visit China, but they are still in a A, I would say, situation of being tough on each other.”
The demonstrators dispersed peacefully at about 5:30.
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2023-10-02 19:33:48
