By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, August 1: A protest banner appeared on an overpass In Xinhua County, Hunan province, China on Tuesday calling for freedom and democracy. The banner hung over a bridge called for freedom and democracy, criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator” and an “authoritarian.” The message, translated by British-Chinese journalist Cindi Yu, read: “freedom, democracy, elections, protest school, protest work, protest authoritarian traitor Xi Jinping”.
This act of dissent is unusual in China, where free speech and criticism are heavily suppressed. Protests are often met with a strong response from authorities. Observers say that the emergence of this banner reflects a growing discontent with the CPC’s strict control over public expression, particularly since the implementation of the ‘Zero Covid’ policy. This policy has led to sporadic demonstrations against Xi and the CPC’s governance.
In recent years, there have been several instances of public unrest in China. In October 2022, two banners appeared hung over a busy overpass in the capital Beijing One reads: “Go on strike. Remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping.” The other read “Say no to covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom…Don’t be a slave, be a citizen.”
In November 2022, large-scale riots erupted in Zhengzhou and Guangzhou, with protesters clashing with police and demanding changes to strict covid restrictions. In Zhengzhou, workers at Foxconn’s iPhone plant protested company policies and Xi’s regime, while residents of Guangzhou voiced their discontent with lockdown measures.
China’s history of suppressing dissent includes events such as the 2008 Tibetan uprising and the 1989 Tiananmen square protests. The 2008 Tibetan uprising was marked by severe repression where hundreds of Tibetan monks gathered in Lhasa to protest and mark the 49th anniversary of a previous Tibetan uprising against Beijing’s rule. The protesters sought the release of fellow Drepung monks, who were reportedly detained while attempting to celebrate the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama. Rights groups reported more than 140 deaths, while Chinese authorities claimed the death toll was just 22.
The crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in April-May 1989 remains infamous. Millions of people gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, demanding greater freedoms. In response, the Communist Party of China (CPC) imposed martial law, deploying military forces on June 3-4 to end the movement. Estimates of the death toll vary widely, ranging from 200 to 10,000, with reports of severe violence against protesters.
One Response
All dictators have their days and the Chinese dictator is no exception. We saw Idi Amin of Uganda persecuting ethnic groups and expelling Asians, majority of them Indians. He became increasingly arrogant by giving himself titles like CBE (conqueror of British Empire)! His rule was characterised by rampant human rights abuses, including political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings and nepotism, corruption, gross economic mismanagement and international isolation. Xi Jinping’s reign of terror is a carbon copy of Idi Amin’s reign. Idi Amin’s reign was cut short when he made the fatal mistake to annex Tanzania’s Kagera region in 1978. Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere sent his troops and along with rebel forces successfully captured Kampala in 1979 and ousted Idi Amin from power! Some 100,000 -500,000 people were murdered during his reign of unmitigated terror! The Chinese dictator Xi may not have murdered as many people but he shares the same deep psychosis such as suspiciousness, paranoia, uneasiness with others and lack of feeling that Idi Amin inherently suffered from. Xi Jinping suffers from the same affliction. His suspicion of the west, the uneasiness with different ethnic groups with their identities and religion torments him. That is why he is destroying Tibetan people’s language, culture, religion and identity. He cannot expel the Tibetans because they are living on their ancestral land. However, he feels exceedingly uncomfortable with their different characteristics and so, he is hellbent to eliminate them by any means! It is no different from Idi Amin expelling all Asians from Uganda because he couldn’t stand their different language, culture and religion! Xi is also increasingly entertaining the thought of annexing Taiwan exactly the way Idi Amin did to capture Tanzania’s Kagera region! Even though Xi has used his untrammelled power to dispose of his opponents through the pretext of “corruption”, he himself showed to be no better! He expelled two former Defence ministers Li and Wei. The reality is both of them were his hand picked men! These military men didn’t demonstrate enough loyalty to the dictator and therefore they were axed. Like wise Foreign Minister Qin Gang was also stood down within few months on his job over-riding older leaders like present foreign minster Wang Yi. There was upheaval in the communist hierarchy about Qin Gang’s ascendency that was perceived as clear nepotism which was not lost in Wang Yi. Finding himself in a difficult situation for ignoring the aspirations of ambitious man like Wang, the dictator found a convenient excuse to get rid of Qin Gang after the unfortunate Qin had an affair with a Chinese TV presenter Fu Xiaotian in 2022 and sired a child.
Since the CCP is an extremely secretive organisation, it is very difficult to gain information. However, there is speculation, Xi is experiencing push back from the communist party since it’s a faction ridden conglomeration rather than a monolith entity. Even the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni to China and meeting Xi didn’t catch the mast of evening news in China nor on the People’s Day! Xi is said to have not attended the PLA’s founding Day on 1st of August! This looks really odd given that he is so fond of being in the company of the military men with military fatigue to project his power as the “great leader”! During the severe lock down, there were calls for the dismantling of the CCP and Xi Jinping! The recent appearance of the protest signs calling for democracy and stepping down of the dictator is a sure sign that there is strong current of discontent among the public with Xi’s reign of terror. There is growing frustration among the population for his emperor like self-postulation without the slightest concern for the plight of the people. He never visits disaster affected areas and remains aloof like the emperors of a bygone age! He is responsible for taking communist China back wards to the Maoist era of red terror and this time it is unlikely to succeed! It’s almost comical but true that in a recent survey in China, people were asked, “who cares for the people of China”? An overwhelming 90% replied America! Only 10% mentioned the CCP!!!