On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party seizing power in China, a group of around dozens of people, including the chairman of the Chinese Democratic Alliance and the Chinese Democratic Front in New York, Chen Weijie, gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate in New York on the morning of September 30, 2024 Eastern Time, shouting slogans of “Down with the CCP” and calling for an end to the CCP dictatorship and for the Chinese people to live freely.
Protesters at the scene held up banners in both Chinese and English that read “Arrest CCP spies in the U.S.” and “CCP get out of America,” while chanting slogans like “End the CCP and restore freedom to China.”
Chen Weijie, speaking on behalf of the protesters, stated that the CCP disregards the lives of its own people, exports dictatorship to the world, supports terrorist organizations, and provides unlimited and unconditional aid to countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which has amounted to $4.4 trillion just in Africa. He pointed out the dire situation of the Chinese people, who cannot afford healthcare, housing, or education.
According to him, there are 600 million Chinese people earning less than 1,000 yuan (RMB) per month, as Premier Li Keqiang has stated, which is only equivalent to $140, about a day’s wage in the US. He also highlighted the fact that more than 100 million Chinese suffer from depression, but there are no proper facilities for psychological treatment in China since there is a lack of genuine mental health professionals.
He mentioned that while CCP officials incite hatred against the U.S., they send their own family members and children to live in America, a country they supposedly despise, which he described as a perverse phenomenon unique to China in the world.
Last year, the U.S. shut down one of the CCP’s overseas police stations in New York, leading to multiple arrests of CCP agents. Chen Weijie condemned the CCP’s long-standing policy of transnational repression and its followers, stating that individuals who are U.S. citizens yet hold pro-CCP sentiments and oppose the U.S. should be sent back to China. He emphasized the need to eradicate CCP entities and individuals operating in the U.S., especially given the CCP’s infiltration into various countries, particularly the U.S.
Many of the participants in the Monday protest had experienced persecution in China, and some of their family members have also faced harassment by authorities. Chen Weijie stressed the importance of speaking out to make the U.S. understand that genuine Chinese people love America, cherish freedom, and have faith. He described the CCP as an evil and terrorist organization that goes against humanity, which they must overthrow and will certainly overcome.
Tom Zmich, a military veteran and a conservative Republican candidate for the 6th Congressional District this year, also joined the protesters in support of the Chinese people’s fight for their freedom. He noted that those who have fled the CCP’s authoritarian regime in China to come to the U.S. seek the same freedom that Americans enjoy.
Zmich pointed out that in addition to persecuting its own people in China, the CCP has established police stations in the U.S. to intimidate, harass, and monitor overseas Chinese, conducting transnational repression. He expressed his hope to represent the people of his district in Washington, D.C., to address the needs of the Chinese community and keep the CCP’s transnational oppression away from American soil.
Regarding the distinction between the CCP and the Chinese people, Zmich emphasized that many fail to understand the stark difference between the two. He clarified that the CCP government is a dictatorship, while the Chinese people are innocent, and they are loved. He stated, “We do not oppose the Chinese people; they work hard, help others, demonstrate compassion, uphold family values, and embrace conservative principles.”