Inspired by rare protests on mainland, Chinese students in North America organise and speak out

Name: ‘It’s important that they’re protesting’: Canadian PM voices support for China Covid protesters
Uploaded: 2022-12-01T23:50:55.000Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: ‘It’s important that they’re protesting’: Canadian PM voices support for China Covid protesters

‘So many of our compatriots can do such a courageous thing, why can’t we?’ says Ava, who attends the University of Toronto

Events have taken place or are planned at more than 50 universities in the US and Canada – top destinations for Chinese students

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A University of Toronto student from mainland China holds a sign protesting Beijing policies. Photo: Handout

Bochen Hanin Washington

Published: 7:50am, 2 Dec 2022Updated: 8:00am, 2 Dec 2022

By Monday at 6.40pm a crowd of over 100 had gathered at George Washington University’s Kogan Plaza. They had come to honour victims of a deadly fire in Xinjiang the week before – deaths that many blame on China’s “zero-Covid” lockdowns.

The plaza was adorned with candles, flowers and protest signs, but there was no event programme and no clear leader.

Many people there had found out about the protest just hours before. The event was thrown together the previous day by mainland Chinese students with little to no organising experience – driven by a desire to respond to developments back home despite the personal risk that came with visible dissent.

Students and others from various diasporas – mainland Chinese, Uygur, Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Ukrainian – took the stage to speak. Chants calling for easing Covid restrictions and bringing down the Chinese Communist Party punctuated the sometimes awkward silence in between.

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‘It’s important that they’re protesting’: Canadian PM voices support for China Covid protesters

Last week’s fire at an Urumqi apartment complex led to at least 10 deaths and nine injuries, and it sparked protests across multiple major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Nanjing.

Outside the mainland, overseas Chinese in at least 23 countries have planned vigils at campuses, civic spaces and Chinese consulates. By Wednesday night, events had taken place or been planned at 52 universities in the US and Canada – top destinations for Chinese students.