Two years ago, a major fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang ignited the “White Paper Movement” that spread across China. Today, two years later, various overseas democracy organizations and individuals have gathered in cities around the world such as San Francisco, London, and Paris to commemorate the victims of the Urumqi fire and the brave individuals like Peng Lifa, initiator of the “Four-Connections Bridge Incident,” and the 47 pro-democracy figures from Hong Kong who have been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as to speak out on behalf of the persecuted people in China.
On November 24, 2022, a high-rise apartment building in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, caught fire. Due to strict lockdown measures, fire trucks were unable to reach the scene, and the fire doors inside the building were locked according to the lockdown policy, preventing people from escaping. Officially, the fire resulted in 10 deaths and 9 injuries, but it is believed that the actual death toll is much higher than the reported 10.
It was this tragic incident that triggered the widespread anti-lockdown “White Paper Movement” across China (named after people holding up white papers in protest against the lockdown measures and lack of freedom of speech) and eventually evolved into demands for the resignation of the Chinese Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping.
While these spontaneous protests led the CCP to modify its extreme “zero-COVID” policy after three years, becoming one of the few successful cases of “the people influencing the authorities” since the Party’s founding, to this day, many young protesters remain missing or detained.
On November 22 at noon, the United Headquarters of the Chinese Democratic Party in San Francisco, together with the Chinese Democratic Education Foundation, held a commemorative event for the two-year anniversary of the White Paper Movement at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, showing support for the “Hong Kong 47” pro-democracy activists, urging the world not to forget the tragedy of the pandemic and the tyranny of the regime.
The Hong Kong 47 case involves participants in the pro-democracy primaries for the 2020 Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong, who were accused of “conspiring to subvert state power.” It marked the largest arrest operation launched by the police since the implementation of the National Security Law on July 1, 2020, resulting in the arrest of 53 people, with 47 later indicted. The sentencing was announced on November 19, 2024, with former associate professor of the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law Benny Tai receiving the heaviest sentence of 10 years, while the other 44 defendants were sentenced to 4 to 7 years, with only Eddie Chu and Lester Shum acquitted.
Geng Lutao, a former music teacher from mainland China who recently arrived in the U.S., also joined the event, expressing his thoughts. He said, “As a young person who came to the U.S. from China, I deeply understand the value of freedom and have experienced the pain of struggling under oppression. Today, I hold a sign saying ‘Save Hong Kong, Liberate Hong Kong,’ standing in the cold rain with my wounds and beliefs, using my small strength to resist the great tyranny (of the CCP).”
On the morning of November 24, Pasadena, a hundred-year-old city in Los Angeles County, hosted the lively 45th Egg Bowl Human Rights Parade. As one of the organizers, the United Headquarters of the Chinese Democratic Party used the opportunity to convey their support for the White Paper Movement and to voice their support for Peng Lifa and all those persecuted by the Chinese authorities through the parade, dramatic performances, writing postcards, and speeches, allowing over 500,000 Americans at the scene to hear their voices.
Physicist and researcher Peng Lifa from Tailai County, Heilongjiang province, hung protest banners on the Four-Connections Bridge in Beijing on October 13, 2022, before being taken away by the police, with no information on his whereabouts to this day.
On the afternoon of November 24, dozens of Uyghur students, including Abdurehim Geni, chairman of the Stichting Support Uyghurs, held a candlelight vigil at Dam Square in Amsterdam to commemorate their compatriots who died in the Urumqi fire in 2022.
Weizhijian, a member of the Chinese Democratic Party, stated at the event, “The Urumqi fire and the ‘White Paper Movement’ tell us that the people have awakened, and this awakening is something no brutal authoritarian regime can extinguish… We must continue to tell everyone in suffering that dictatorship will not last forever, and freedom, democracy, and constitutionalism will eventually prevail.”
Abdurehim Geni, representing the Stichting Support Uyghurs, spoke at the event, saying, “Two years ago today, a high-rise building in Urumqi (East Turkestan) caught fire, resulting in over 44 Uyghurs being burned to death. This is a continuing genocide of the Uyghurs in the occupied areas of East Turkestan by the CCP… We call on the world to condemn the Chinese government, impose sanctions and penalties on them to ensure that the ongoing genocide of the Uyghurs does not become a future tragedy for other ethnic groups.”
In a noteworthy gesture, Xia Chaochuan, a participant of the fortunate escape from the White Paper Movement in Shanghai, also attended the commemoration event and delivered a speech. Concerned about being exposed and targeted by the Chinese authorities, most participants held electronic candles off-camera.
On November 23, Chinese Democratic activist Zhou Feng stood in front of the Chinese embassy in Iceland in solidarity with the 47 pro-democracy figures from Hong Kong, shouting, “Free Hong Kong, Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times!”
Zhou Feng told the Epoch Times, “Today, we stand here to support the 47 pro-democracy individuals persecuted by the CCP, while also commemorating the two-year anniversary of the ‘White Paper Movement,’ speaking out for those oppressed and for the souls who remain firm in their beliefs in the darkness. Let us show the world through action that we will not yield to tyranny, we will strive for the freedom of Hong Kong, and we will fight for the future of China.”
Translated and rewritten by [Your Name]