Members of China’s persecuted communities and rights groups staged a peaceful protest outside the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair, London on Sunday, where the Chinese Embassy was hosting its 74th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Ahead of the October 1 PRC National Day, this secretive official function of the Chinese Embassy stated, “A gala dinner to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, attended by Ambassador Zheng Zeguang and other embassy officials.”
Attending the protest were leading activists and leaders of China’s persecuted communities and rights groups, including Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities, Hong Kong Aid, Hong Kong Liberty, Stop Uyghur Genocide, Tibetan Community UK and Uyghur Community UK.
The protesters were heard chanting “No celebrations – China’s Dictators”, “No Celebrations – Genocides demand Justice”, “Free Tibet” “Free East Turkestan” “Free Hong Kong”.
Chinese officials were seen taking photos of the peaceful protesters.
The coalition of rights groups are now getting ready for their next annual protest, on October 1, when their members and supporters will join in from London’s Trafalgar Square to the Chinese Embassy.
After the protest, Rahima Mahmut, executive director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, posted on her social media handle, “This evening, officials from the Chinese Embassy marked their National Celebration Day with a dinner at the InterContinental Hotel in London. Together with our friends from Hong Kong and Tibet, we organized a small protest outside the hotel to emphasize that there can be no true celebration amid genocide and dictatorship.”
Tenzin Kunga, chairman of Tibetan Community, UK posted on X, “We made sure that our voices calling for #FreeTibet #FreeHongkong #FreeUyghurs echoed through the hotel doors to those attending the Chinese event. Our groups united in #resistance.”
The People’s Republic of China was founded soon after the Communist Party of China (CCP) defeated the Kuomintang (The Nationalist – Republic of China (ROC), now Taiwan) on October 1, 1949.
Former Chinese President Mao Zedong ordered his PLA troops to invade Tibet. Since the CCP came to power through brutal force, immeasurable atrocities and destruction have been committed by the Chinese regime, including tens of millions of people killed, the protesters claimed.
The alleged Uyghur genocide in China’s occupied East Turkestan is an illustration of the CCP’s atrocities on the Uyghur people.
Over 800,000 Tibetan children are forcefully being admitted in China’s ‘colonial boarding schools’ with the main object of annihilation of the Tibetan identity, language and culture, the protesters claimed, adding that Mongolians still cannot exercise their native language rights in Southern Mongolia, which is still under China’s occupation.
Since the CCP imposed their ‘National Security Law’, the fundamental rights of the people of Hong Kong, including the rights to protest and free speech, have allegedly been taken away by the Chinese authorities.
Consequently, several hundred thousands of Hongkongers have fled their homeland, the protesters claimed.