NEW YORK—More than 150 groups in some 60 cities around the world rallied in protest of the Chinese regime’s human rights abuses as it celebrated its 71st year of ruling.
The global coalition on Oct. 1—the anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s takeover of China in 1949—was a diverse mix of Tibetans, Hongkongers, Taiwanese, ethnic Mongolians, Uyghur Muslims, Kazakhs, and exiled Chinese dissidents, each with grievances against the regime for persecuting their communities. The suppression they faced has revealed to the world the true face of the Chinese regime: one that disregards human rights and poses threats to the world, they told The Epoch Times.
“The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] cannot be given a pass, cannot be absolved of justice, just because it’s ruling China,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) in a speech in front of the U.S. Capitol.
“They’re allowed to get away with oppression, concentration camps, all kinds of horrific things that you already know about, whether it’s the Falun Gong, whether it’s our friends in Mongolia, whether it’s taking over Tibet,” he continued, referring to Beijing’s persecution of the ancient spiritual practice, erosion of Mongolian cultural customs, and suppression of Tibetan Buddhists, respectively.
“All of it has to end, and it’s criminal activity that must be recognized and stood against by the whole world community, and the United States must lead,” he added.
Perry introduced a bill Thursday morning to designate the CCP as a “transnational criminal organization” and eliminate sovereign immunity for Chinese officials—which would allow them to be tried in U.S. court for criminal prosecution.
“We must be the generation that confronts and defeats, and ends the wicked regime of the CCP,” he said.
Different from the past few years, activists said they felt a newfound sense of solidarity as different groups witnessed Beijing’s recent authoritarian clampdown, such as the regime’s proposed elimination of Mongolian-language teaching in Inner Mongolia schools, mass arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, and repressive policies in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Pema Namgyal, a 26-year-old Tibetan graduate student majoring in psychology, called for the Chinese regime to be brought to justice.
“It has nothing to do with the Chinese people personally, but the government itself,” he said while attending a rally near United Nations headquarters. Namgyal was born and raised in India, and later immigrated to New York with his parents as refugees.
Nicole Sara, an activist who lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, called China’s “National Day” a “day of mourning.”
“As far as all these people are concerned, there’s nothing to celebrate,” she told The Epoch Times, adding that “it’s the beginning of the devastation for many, many people.”
“Evil regimes come and go,” she said, believing that the Chinese regime would one day collapse. “One day we’ll look back and see the stain on Chinese history.”
Nicole Hao contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times