On the occasion of the National Day of Mourning for the eleven countries, various ethnic groups in Los Angeles gathered outside the Chinese Consulate to join the nationwide protest against the Chinese Communist Party, condemning the repression, persecution, and human rights disasters of the past 75 years of communist rule.
The protest activities began last Sunday (September 29). At noon on that day, over a dozen protest groups from the Chinese community in Los Angeles gathered in front of the consulate. The “Chinese City Democratic Tank National Day of Mourning Parade” organized by the Chinese Democratic Party United Headquarters set off from the 168 Chinese supermarket in San Gabriel, making its way towards the consulate, attracting the attention of passersby along the route.
According to organizer Jie Lijian, vice chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party United Headquarters, as the parade passed by a large Chinese supermarket plaza, local Chinese people pointed and praised them, with one individual even donating over 100 dollars to support the cause.
Before the start of the afternoon rally, nearly two hundred people had gathered on the streets outside the consulate. Participating organizations included the Chinese Democratic Party United Headquarters, the Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum, the Visual Artists Association, the Uyghur American Association, the Southern California Tibetan Association, the Hong Kong and Taiwan Burmese Thai Milk Tea Alliance, the Los Angeles Myanmar Action, the Philippine Good Governance Organization, Chinese Women’s Rights, the Chinese Social Democratic Party, Chinese Human Rights Watch, Los Angeles “Blank Movement,” and the End of the Chinese Communist Alliance, among others.
Many banners were displayed at the event, with the prominent two characters “National Mourning” drawing particular attention. During the rally, protesters from Tibetan and Uyghur ethnicities separately held flag-raising ceremonies, with over twenty Tibetans singing the Tibetan national anthem.
To ensure the safety of the rally and provide convenience to protesters, the Los Angeles police blocked off some streets in front of the consulate.
Each year, the Chinese “National Day” is in fact a heartbreaking moment for many Chinese individuals both at home and abroad.
In a solemn tone, Jie Lijian mentioned during his speech that after 75 years, the suffering of the Chinese people under the communist regime has not ended. In addition to the Han, Tibetan, and Uyghur people, in recent years, the suffering has extended to include Hong Kong residents, spreading disaster worldwide. The fundamental cause of the calamity is the Communist Party’s tyranny. He stated, “Every day, every second under communist rule, we (Chinese people) are struggling in hell.”
Liu Yinquan, chairman of the Chinese Social Democratic Party and former history professor at Shandong University, is well-versed in the founding of the Communist Party and contemporary Chinese history. In his speech, he pointed out that the Communist Party, which was established on Marxist-Leninist principles imported from the Soviet Union in 1949, is an evil regime that goes against traditional Chinese morals, bringing tremendous disaster to the Chinese people. At the beginning of the regime, the Communist Party labeled individuals with assets as landlords, capitalists, and wealthy farmers, labeled those with thoughts and culture as rightists, and labeled those with ideas, abilities, and personalities as counterrevolutionaries, then proceeded to eliminate them.
“They (the Communist Party) slaughtered over a hundred million Chinese. Until now, they have not granted the Chinese people any basic human rights, treating the Chinese people as slaves for exploitation,” Liu Yinquan remarked. Over the past 75 years, freedom of speech, association, and even the freedom to procreate have been stripped from the Chinese people, “they have taken away any freedoms stipulated even by their own constitution.”
Liu Yinquan emphasized, “We must unite to end tyranny as soon as possible, overthrow the communist rule, and establish a China that is free, democratic, and constitutional.”
Hong Kong youth seeking asylum in Los Angeles, “Yi Suijun,” pointed out during his speech that in the 75th year of Chinese Communist rule, freedom in Hong Kong no longer exists, and the once bright Pearl of the Orient has dimmed.
He noted that when Hong Kong people protested in the past, many mainland Chinese individuals did not understand and even mocked them; however, shortly after, the Communist Party enforced lockdowns due to the pandemic, scenes of draconian measures and violence became widespread throughout the mainland. He believes that Chinese people should support each other and strive together for freedom, rather than seeking to take advantage of the situation.
Yi Suijun warned that under Chinese Communist rule, people do not have the right to say “no”; saying “no” implies “provocation” or “endangering national security.” In a country where audience members can only raise their hands in agreement or applaud, their lives, freedom, and property have no protection.
During the rally, speeches were also given by Liu Yaya, chair of the Visual Artists Association, representatives from the Southern California Tibetan Association, and Tao Tenzin Dhamcho, a director of the International Tibet Network, Mutalip Kurban, representing the Uyghur American Association in Los Angeles, and Ken Wu, the Western Regional Coordinator of the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan and Asia-Pacific representative of the Milk Tea Alliance.
Protesters paraded around the consulate carrying “coffins” to symbolize a funeral for the Chinese Communist Party. As they marched, they chanted slogans such as “End the Communist tyranny,” “Free Tibet,” “Free Hong Kong,” among others.
Apart from Los Angeles, demonstrations against the Communist Party were observed in places like San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC. On the evening of the 1st, under the organization of the Los Angeles Committee of the Chinese Democratic Party, dozens of people once again gathered outside the consulate to protest. In Los Angeles, such scenes are rarely seen outside other foreign embassies.
Recent incidents of “killing officials” in mainland China, involving female directors of the Hunan Provincial Finance Department, the Director of the Shaoyang Public Security Bureau, the Deputy Mayor of Xianyang in Shaanxi, and the Deputy Mayor of Jinzhou in Liaoning, indicate escalating social tensions. Additionally, due to the Communist Party’s open confrontation with the free world, especially regarding Taiwan, they have found themselves in an increasingly precarious position on the international stage.
In conclusion, Jie Lijian summarized that the root cause of the suffering of the Chinese people is the tyranny of the Communist Party. “Today, we hope to unite democratic forces from around the globe—regardless of nationality or ethnicity—to overthrow the Communist tyranny together; we hope for the swift return of democracy to the Chinese people.” ◇