On 5th July, human rights campaigners are organising two major public events in central London to expose the killing and persecution of innocent Uyghurs by the Chinese authorities. The Commemoration event will be held in front of the British Parliament. The loud public Protest will be held outside the Chinese Embassy.
2022 marks the 13th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre by China. On 5th July 2009, a peaceful protest – demanding justice for two Uyghur factory workers murdered by a racist mob – was violently crushed down by the riot police. This sparked widespread clashes and riots and the deaths of dozens of people, both Uyghur and Han nationals. A violent crackdown by the authorities killed, disappeared and arrested thousands of Uyghurs.
Organised by the Stop Uyghur Genocide and Uyghur Community UK, these protests will bring UK parliamentarians, activists as well as labour unions, human rights and community groups together in support of the Uyghur people’s freedom struggle.
At 4:30pm, a number of UK parliamentarians will show their support to the Uyghur cause by attending the photographs display of Uyghur detainees, sourced from the leaks, in Parliament Square, Westminster.
This will be followed by a strong rally with cross-community speakers outside the Chinese Embassy from 6pm. Loud chanting of “Stop Uyghur Genocide” and “Free East Turkistan” is expected to echo the walls of the Chinese Embassy.
Urumqi is the largest city in East Turkistan (Ch: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region). The annual demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy also coincides with the monthly solidarity protest at this site, which is regularly organised by the Uyghur Solidarity UK with its partners.
East Turkistan was invaded soon after Mao Tsetung and his comrades established the Peoples’ Republic of China on 1st October 1949. In 2021, the Independent Uyghur Tribunal made a ruling that the Chinese State has committed genocide against the Uyghur minorities in their homelands. Subsequently, parliaments around the world have also passed resolutions to this effect and continue to call for action against China. Over a million Uyghur Muslims are locked up in “concentration camps” who are being persecuted by the Chinese State.
Tsering Passang, Founder and Chairman of the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities, said, “It is time that leaders in China take responsibility for their brutal actions against the persecuted communities including Uyghur minorities. I welcome and appreciate the continued support the UK parliamentarians have given to the persecuted communities including the Uyghur Muslims. Their voice in the UK parliament plays a vital role in exposing China’s brutalities against the people of East Turkistan, Tibet, Hong Kong and others. I urge our parliamentarians to continue their support.”
Useful links:
http://www.stopuyghurgenocide.uk
Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities 