HRIC Executive Director Speaks at CECC Press Conference on APEC Attacks
Last week, December 12, 2023, HRIC joined the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) for a press conference on the violence against human rights defenders and activists during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, as well as the larger issue of transnational repression led by the CCP. HRIC Executive Director Zhou Fengsuo gave his remarks on the APEC attacks and his own experience being attacked by pro-CCP supporter in San Francisco several years ago.
Video credit: IPK Media.
(Transcript edited slightly for clarity.)
Since the attacks at APEC, I have been hearing lots of disheartening things from the Chinese community. Some of them who felt relieved the last few years are scared again for their own safety here. They are afraid to face the police. Even when they are attacked, they are afraid to talk to the press, because their family back in China will be in trouble. That’s why it is so important to have this meeting here today, and we are honored to have these people among us. Zhang Kaiyu was ambushed while leaving the protest. He will tell his story. I think his is the most important story today. And also, we have a few people who were there, they were attacked. Some of them were attacked many times within the last few years, repeatedly, in New York, in San Francisco, and some of them were beaten as political prisoners in China. Now, they are beaten here again, in America. This is what we are facing. This is why we must speak up and fight back.
My name is Zhou Fengsuo. I am currently the Executive Director of Human Rights in China. I organized some of the protests in San Francisco Bay Area, including a flying banner over the sky that said “Free China, Free Hong Kong, Free Tibet, Free Uyghur,” and we are glad to stand with our sisters and brothers from these communities here today. Before and after APEC, we have been constantly in contact with these people on the ground, collecting information. I can share with you some of their stories. We have a briefing already on our website and Substack, and we can connect you with these victims if you want to know any details.
To summarize, between November 14 and November 17, more than 2000 CCP supporters crowded San Francisco streets and attacked at most a few hundred protestors against Xi Jinping. Dozens were beaten, more than ten bloodied. More than five people were sent to the hospital. Actually, one person couldn’t come today because he had to see an emergency doctor. He is still suffering and he is in a dangerous condition because of the attacks, and he is worried about whether he can get insurance to cover his bill. These pro-CCP groups flew in from as far as New York City, with some well known CCP supporters leading the charge. They directed these people to use flag poles to cover the protestors and to attack these protestors, and they identified themselves with red scarves and red headbands. Some of them looked like they were military trained. And these people who ambushed Zhang Kaiyu reacted when he said “Fuck CCP” and “Fuck Xi Jinping.” That’s one reason why we believe they are associated with CCP’s Embassy and CCP’s Consulate here in the United States. We also have video evidence from one of the students that was with the group that the Chinese Embassy bussed in from as far as Los Angeles. We have all this evidence.
I can just name these examples for now, but dozens of Hong Kong, Tibetan, and Uyghur protestors also faced forceful attacks from CCP supporters. My Tibetan friend Chemi Lhmao was hit on the head many times, and her phone stolen. She is still suffering from lingering symptoms from the attacks even today. Falun Gong protestors held anti-CCP signs and intentionally stayed away from the pro-Xi crowd. However, they were chased after and deliberately attacked.
When I heard about all this violence towards human rights defenders in San Francisco, and I heard witnesses describe the way San Francisco police stood by and watched, I was saddened but not surprised. Because I have been attacked like this many times in San Francisco in the past decade. The last time was when the Olympic Torch was passing through the San Francisco Bay Area. I was attacked and beaten while San Francisco police were watching. I asked them whether they had given this space to pro-CCP supporters. They said no. I said “this is American ground. You must protect me.” San Francisco police just shrugged and stood by watching. That is exactly what people are facing today, and why it is so important to talk about transnational repression now: because we do not want this to happen again. We are alarmed that this is transpiring now, while the United States is slowly but surely waking up to the threat of transnational repression from Communist China in the US.
I also want to emphasize that the violence at APEC was not isolated to the attacks on the ground. Before the summit in San Francisco, I spoke with at least three people who confirmed to me that they had received calls from their family back in China with police on the line, warning them not to participate. While the violent attacks were going on in San Francisco, Chinese police in China beat Sun Lin, a citizen journalist in Nanjing, to death in his home, because he was tweeting about what was happening in San Francisco Bay Area. After the summit, up until today, dozens of my contacts are still receiving calls from Chinese police, warning them not to talk about what happened, and not to show up. That’s why I respect these people who showed up today. Because it takes so much courage to face the retaliation.
The CCP uses violence as a tool because they want to intimidate us, they want to silence us, and they do not want our voice to be heard. They do it because they can, with the help of negligence from law enforcement on the ground. If they can harm us like this, they can do this to everyone in this country. If we let them get away with these attacks, they will repeat it in the future to anyone in the United States. That is why we will not be silenced. We will stand firm, and we will speak up. The CCP cannot be allowed to violently silence free speech here. Thank you.
