On March 8th of this year marked the two-year anniversary of the “Tear Down the Firewall” movement, calling for the dismantling of the Chinese Communist Party’s internet firewall. A group of Chinese residents in New York gathered at Times Square in Manhattan, demanding the release of the initiator of the movement, Qiao Xinxin (birth name Yang Zewei), and calling on the international community to help the Chinese people access free information and tear down the CCP’s internet firewall.
In the face of freezing winds, a group of like-minded individuals held up signs in Times Square, displaying messages such as “End CCP dictatorship,” “Unconditionally release Qiao Xinxin,” “Protest CCP’s cross-border repression,” and “Religious freedom,” expressing their demands. They also showed support for Qiao Xinxin, who was abducted to China from Laos for initiating the “Tear Down the Firewall” movement and sentenced to five years in prison, currently detained in a prison in Hunan Province.
Co-founder of the “Tear Down the Firewall” movement, Feng Ye, stated at the scene that two years ago on March 8, 2023, he and Qiao Xinxin formally announced the establishment of the movement in Laos and launched the “Firewall Dismantling Guide,” distributing it in front of various embassies of countries in Laos. On June 2, Feng Ye lost contact with Qiao for three days. Qiao’s neighbor informed him that on May 31, six Chinese police officers and two Laotian police officers came to Qiao’s home and took him away. In the process of searching for Qiao, Feng Ye was also followed and received death threats, leading him to flee to Southeast Asian countries and eventually seek refuge in the United States. In July of the same year, Feng Ye learned that Qiao had been abducted back to China, and the Hunan National Security issued an arrest warrant to his family on charges of “subverting state power.”
“We believe that we cannot always hide like quails. Someone always needs to light that match,” Feng Ye said. Qiao Xinxin hopes that once the Chinese people know the truth, they can make the right choices. He sympathizes with the suffering Chinese people and as individuals who have come to a free society overseas, they need to support Qiao Xinxin and expose to the world that the CCP not only restricts the Chinese people but also exports its firewall abroad. They call on the world to be vigilant.
Renowned human rights lawyer from mainland China, Zhang Ren, pointed out that from the global pandemic of COVID-19, it is clear that if China had freedom of speech and no internet firewall, this disaster could have been avoided. The CCP suppressed whistleblowers like Dr. Li Wenliang and eight other doctors who spoke the truth. By blocking information about the epidemic, the CCP allowed the virus to spread worldwide. Therefore, the CCP’s firewall not only restricts the Chinese people but also poses a threat to the world.
Christian Lu Haoyu stated that due to the CCP’s internet firewall, Christians are unable to communicate and exchange with churches abroad. Contacting overseas churches could lead to being accused of crimes and arrested. He has experienced persecution because of this.
They emphasized that U.S. tech company Cisco aided the CCP in constructing the “Great Firewall” and collaborated in restricting the Chinese people’s access to information, suppressing their freedom of speech and human rights, and monitoring dissenting voices in China. Such companies should face sanctions from the United States.