Fengsuo Zhou Speaks at Opening of 35th Anniversary Memorial Exhibit at Axel Springer in Berlin
Open for viewing until December 10
On November 15, Fengsuo Zhou, Executive Director of Human Rights in China, gave a speech to mark the opening of the “China is not far!: 35 Years-Fall of the Berlin Wall/Tiananmen’’ exhibit in its second location at Axel Springer Freedom Foundation, Berlin. Among those attending the event were German diplomats and Members of Parliament; representatives from Taiwan and Tibet, and activists hailing from Hong Kong and the former GDR. The exhibition explores the influence of the CCP's brutal June 4th crackdown on the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. It will be shown until December 10th.
Zhou’s full speech can be found below.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my honor to be here as we mark the movement of the ‘China is Not Far’ exhibition to the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation. My sincere thanks to Antje and her team, for their tireless work to honor the historical connections between Beijing and Berlin’s democracy movements in 1989.
This year, we commemorate the 35th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall – a monumental triumph over tyranny. The fall of the wall, allowed be the courage of peaceful protesters, is testament to a profound truth. Ordinary people, when standing united, can bring down even seemingly insurmountable barriers. The lesson of 1989 is simple: the power for change lies within us all.
I have been inspired this week to meet luminaries from the former GDR, Poland, Iran and Venezuela; including, Stefan Muller, Masih Alinejad and Leopoldo Lopez. I am so thrilled to meet GDR activists who supported us Tiananmen protesters in their fight, Evelyn Zupke, Frank Ebert, Stephan Muller, Michael Heinisch and others. We are connected again now, after 35 years, like long lost brothers and sisters meeting for the first time. We have cried for each other, and cheered for each other in our respective battles. These brave voices remind us that the struggle for liberty transcends any single nation – or generation. Their stories connect us to our shared past, and to the ongoing fight against authoritarianism. I have been filled with hope to see the love of freedom still burning so brightly here in Berlin.
This exhibition honors that spirit of resistance, reminding us that the fight for freedom transcends borders and ideologies. The movements of 1989—whether in Germany, Poland, or China—were part of a larger wave that led to the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe and emboldened others to stand up for their rights. These events are interconnected, and the journey for freedom is one we all share.
As we reflect on past struggles, we must also acknowledge the ongoing tragedy endured by individuals who fight for freedom and human rights in China. When Deng Xiaoping ordered the Chinese army to roll tanks into Tiananmen Square, the world saw the true face of the CCP. Yet, too often, Western governments have been blinded by China’s economic power. As the world has made itself dependent on Chinese products, it has strengthened and emboldened the Chinese government. Our dependencies on Chinese products has allowed the CCP to become much stronger than it was in 1989.
Here I want to comment on the clever use of Chinese shipping containers as display containers in this exhibition, symbolizing the immense influence the CCP wields today through international commerce. This metaphor also shows us what this dependency means for other nations around the world. Whether we import phones, electric vehicles or medical equipment from China, we are dealing with a regime which has blood on its hands and a lust for domination.
Economic integration with China, if done without scrutiny, strengthens and legitimizes the CCP’s rule. It allows the CCP’s tentacles to penetrate into our governments; our media and institutions. These are dangerous dependencies to nurture.
Within the exhibition, we also see the work of brave activists from the GDR, who took to the streets to protest against the so-called ‘Chinese solution’ of suppressing peaceful protests. These people took to the streets; they wrote open statements and letters to the Chinese ambassador. They used their voices to speak out against the dictators who shielded themselves behind barbed wars and bayonets. They stood up against the SED, who praised the Chinese government for the use of heavy artillery against unarmed students in June 1989. These were ordinary people, whose actions in 1989 have made them extraordinary. What these people had in common is their bravery, and their pursuit of freedom and dignity.
My request is simple. Let yourself be inspired by those who have fought for your freedom, and join them yourself: use your voice. Remind your governments not to be blinded by short-termism and greed. Stop empowering the Chinese Communist Party. Behind the peaceful mask they project is the torture of human rights lawyers, the imprisonment of dissidents, the silencing of freedom speech in China, the internment camps for the Uyghurs, the self immolations of the Tibetans, the repressions in Hong Kong, the ceaseless military aggressions against Taiwan. Every year, on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP sends police to threaten the families of people slaughtered by their own army 35 years ago. The CCP is compelled to intimidate into silence the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters of victims of their own massacre. Can you imagine, sending police to spy on and ‘check in on’ a little old lady who wants to place flowers on her dead son’s grave? These people have never been permitted to grieve the deaths of their loved ones. This is how terrified this regime is of the truth being spoken. The CCP needs to bully the Tiananmen Mothers who have never been allowed to mourn their children.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was not the end of the struggle against tyranny; it was only one battle in an ongoing war. Today, we face a dangerous axis of authoritarianism, with China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia uniting to suffocate democratic institutions, propagate lies and spread misinformation. They are working together to erode freedom worldwide. This threat may seem overwhelming, but the power to resist in our hands.
Dictatorships feed on fear, but they cannot survive without our compliance. The truth is a weapon more powerful than any surveillance camera or digital censorship. As long as we remember the past, join our hands and speak up against dictators, together, we can push back.
As we stand here before the ‘China is Not Far’ exhibition, I want the audience to feel empowered. The lessons of 1989 are not relics of the past, they are guides to our future.
Courage, unity and action transform ordinary people into extraordinary agents of change. Let our voices rise, let our actions unite, for as long as we stand together, no wall can withstand the force of freedom. The fight for liberty is not over, and it is our duty to continue it.
Thank you.