UW International Students Protest China's Zero Protest Policy

Matthew Robi

On Monday night, roughly 100 Chinese and Hong Kong International UW Students Protested China's Zero Protest Policy In front of the Suzzallo library entrance as frustrations rose over a preventable fire in Ürümqi that killed more than 30 civilians.

In a building filled with senior citizens and children, a fire broke loose in Ürümqi, China. Upon hearing of the disaster, first responders hurried to the site, but still, they were too late. Everyone involved had died due to the intense heat exposure and toxic fumes. The Civilians could not escape the burning building because President Xi Jinping had installed covid barricades in the Ürümqi district (covid barricades are exits that are closed off with metal barriers to force people to stay inside and reduce the spread of covid).

To make matters worse, the firemen had to take down multiple obstacles before they could access the building because the gate that grants vehicle access was also closed off by metal plates. As a consequence of President Xi Jinping's zero covid policy, the firefighters were late to a scene where every second determined whether men, women, and children would live or die.

Additionally, Chinese outlets are covering up for the government and falsely reported the tragedy saying 10 people died when locals say it was over 30 people.

The man who led the event asked to remain anonymous, hence the ski mask and yellow firemen hat. He identified himself as “just a man from Hong Kong pursuing democracy.”

The mystery man wished to inform the Chinese American community that they could still make a change and be a voice for the voiceless through protest despite distance and language barriers.

"In 2019, Hong Kong students gathered up in PolyU of Hong Kong and decades ago college students gathered up on Tiananmen square, now we remember them and keep fighting," he then finished the interview saying, “we don’t want a dictator, we want democracy, we want freedom… we are citizens, not slaves.”

Students handed out info pamphlets detailing the reason they were all assembled, and it read:

"The Chinese government is censoring all info and arresting supporters. Crowds in China are holding up blank pages in protest. If nothing is allowed to be said, then saying nothing is saying everything."

There is no greater threat to the ordinary member of society than being deprived of the right to protest and Chinese citizens know this well.

Here are the student's list of demands:

To end the night, everyone sang a classic cantopop anthem while waving their flashlights back and forth. The song 海闊天空 (Hǎikuòtiānkōng) by Hong Kong rock band Beyond, is about fighting for freedom and facing the challenges that come with such battles. The chorus translates to, "forgive me for being indulgent and loving freedom all my life. I too fear that I may fall one day. Abandoning my ideals, as anyone can. I won't be afraid, even if one day there's just you and me."

The crowd was full of heavy hearts, and the student's faces appeared both fatigued and empathetic for their oppressed brothers and sisters. However, at the same time, they seemed proud of their strength in numbers, and they should be. Throughout history, protest has reaped the reward of systemic change time and time again. There is no better way to express your love for your country than to protest and share how you think it should be improved.