"A person's bravery should not go without echo" - A demonstration and protest in London in Mandarin

2022/11/08
Author/ Shanshan Editor/ Sharon

This article is jointly published by Wai Nao and NGOCN Sound Project, first published on Wai Nao

"I really envy the gatherings of Iranians. Everyone can dance and sing together without being afraid of being exposed." Lulu said. "As long as I do it and the people around me do it, then we will have a new collective memory and a new imagination of the future. This will prompt us to no longer be complacent about the status quo and make some changes." Nana said.

On Saturday, October 29, at 4:00 p.m. UK time, more than 100 Mandarin speakers gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London to protest China's current policy of "zeroing out" the epidemic and support the "Beijing Four Bridge Protests".

At the scene of the protest, which lasted about two hours, people chanted slogans loudly in Mandarin. Their appeals included: opposing excessive epidemic prevention; demanding restoration of the economy and people's livelihood; freedom for overseas Chinese to return to China; opposing Xi Jinping's re-election; demanding political reform, freedom of speech, etc. Inside and outside the scene, many participants and onlookers said that this is the first time in recent years that they have seen a political rally called and expressed in Mandarin in London.

The October 13 protest on the Sitong Bridge in Beijing did not fade away with the CCP’s extremely strict “deletion of accounts” and “deletion of posts”. Instead, it triggered various forms of protests inside and outside China. Outside China, "poster actions" continued to proliferate, and the phrase "one's bravery should not go without echo" became a key slogan in many protests.

Chinese students who come alone: From standing still and looking far to "going forward"

For half a month, in London, China-related posters and protest banners have been put up every week. But the rally on October 29 was still different.

This is a "decentralized" protest without a dedicated core organizer. It was spontaneously initiated by members of the "London 'My Obligation' Democracy Wall" in the Telegram group. Unlike previous protests, most of the participants were from mainland China, with different ages and identities, and most of them were young people. In order to protect their own safety, most people put on masks, masks and hats. Many participants said that TAs hid their identities, mainly because they were worried that their actions would cause their family members in China to be "caused for trouble".

At around 4:00 p.m., at the corner of Trafalgar Square in central London, people who came to the rally began to put up black and white slogans of "Stone Bridge Protest". At 4:30 in the afternoon, the rally officially began. At the scene, someone wrote "FREE CHINA" on the ground with light yellow chalk. Some held up printed posters with slogans such as: "A person's courage should not be unresponsive", "Anti-dictatorship and save China", "We need food", "We need votes", etc.; ", "No nucleic acid" and other words of white cloth tape. In addition, some people wear white protective clothing, with "IT'S MY DUTY", "NOT FOUND" and a red exclamation mark representing "articles are invisible" printed on the back, or red handprints are printed on the protective clothing.

A Chinese student studying abroad under the pseudonym "Ning Zhitou" came to watch alone. She said that she chose this name because she quoted a poem "I would rather die with the fragrance on the branch". When the protests first started, she just stopped and watched from a distance, but when she saw a huge black banner on a white background slowly unfolding in front of her eyes, she felt something in her heart, "I can't bear it anymore", so she also step forward. For the next two hours, Ning Zhitou held up a poster distributed by others, and stood together with the other participants.

Please try to be brave and write "zy" as "freedom"

Unlike regular rallies and protests, the event did not have a central speaker. The protest was launched amidst the sound of a woman's slogan, and the onlookers could also go to the center to receive a loudspeaker to express their feelings or initiate an appeal.

Some people came forward wearing masks and hats, and read Bei Dao's poem "The End or the Beginning——Dedicated to Yu Luoke", some people read the anonymous poem"Try to be brave, and write "zy" as "freedom"" , some Calling everyone to sing "Do You Hear the People Sing?"

Among the crowd, Elena Huang was one of the callers. "I'm the one who joins everyone in crying out against the dictatorship," she said.

Elena said that when she first arrived at the event, there were not many Chinese and she felt scared. "What I'm afraid of is how to be the one who stands out, and I'm afraid that even if I stand up, whether I can really do well."

At the scene, there were not only supporters who came to support the "Beijing Sitong Bridge Incident", but also people holding the banner of "Recover Hong Kong, Revolution of the Times", and those who came to support "Tibet" and "Xinjiang" human rights issues. Not far away, Iranians are carrying out massive "hijab revolution" demonstrations that lasted for several weeks, protesting against the arrest and death of Iranian girl Masha Amini for "violating the dress code".

Elena was worried that at the rally, someone would have conflicts due to political differences, but the situation at the scene finally made her happy. "When I saw everyone working together to hang up the big banners from Tibetan friends, I was less afraid. I felt infinite warmth and courage to do the next thing," she said.

Standing in the crowd, listening to people responding to every shout of slogans, Elena felt a kind of strength from within. "The cry that has been suppressed for a long time is as charming as the fireworks that suddenly bloom in the night sky." She said.

Overseas, it is very rare for Chinese to organize protests, so lack of experience is inevitable. But what Elena didn't expect was that everyone was very organized. From setting up the venue, handing out flyers, filming the event with professional equipment, mediating disputes, and having someone stay behind until everyone leaves, everything is in order.

What touched her the most was that, without any speakers, everyone spontaneously picked up the loudspeakers to speak. "It's very beautiful to see how everyone is willing to gather together for the same goal." She said: "I am moved by the Chinese people's willingness to stand up, I am moved by the Hong Kong people's willingness to come to support, I am moved by the large banners sent by the Tibetans, and I am also moved by the Iranians who heard the news. "

But Francis, who was also in the front row of the scene, had a different view. He joined the crowd when the protests first started, and he was one of the few Chinese present without a mask covering his face. "I don't wear a mask, I'm an upright Chinese," Francis said.

Francis said that during the lockdown in Shanghai this year, he was banned for reposting a poem on WeChat. But standing at the scene, facing the gathering of people with various appeals, he was a little unhappy. He believes that he wants to establish a democratic China, but he opposes Hong Kong independence. "I think our hard-won democracy has been hijacked by them." Francis said.

"A person's action will really eliminate the fear of his imagination"

For Elena, this event means a lot. "This is a moment that symbolizes that the Chinese people do not want to be oppressed anymore. This moment has a great impact on both the world and China." Elena believes: "For the world, everyone sees that the Chinese people are not No matter how politically indifferent. Even in a vacuum environment like China, people’s voices are still transmitted to the world one after another.”

"For China, although the impact may not be great in the short term, at least the CCP will receive a message that we are not afraid to stand up! I don't dare to comment on what changes this event will make, but I believe such activities will give Chinese people more courage to change."

Elena hopes that this event can send a message to everyone: "Although there are many difficulties, we still managed to speak out. If this message is conveyed, then through this event, similar events will continue to happen in the future."

At the same time, Nana in the crowd, a student studying in the UK, also shared similar feelings. "The scale this time is indeed relatively large among the demonstrations initiated by mainland Chinese, and it mainly focuses on the political demands of mainland Chinese," Nana said.

"The significance of participating in this kind of activity is that every action you take affects others, and it affects others very extensively and profoundly," Nana said. "For example, if you have the courage to shout the first sentence, someone will pick you up." Next sentence. If you go to the streets or do many other things, your friends will know, as if the danger index of these things is not as scary as imagined. I also hope that my friends around me can see from me that a When people act, they really remove the fear of their imagination."

"As long as I do it and the people around me do it, then we will have a new collective memory and a new vision of the future. This will prompt us not to be complacent about the status quo, but to make some changes ’” said Nana.

Xiaodong is a bystander among the crowd. In his opinion, compared with the loudest Iranian protests on the square, the protests by the Chinese next to them seemed inconspicuous. "However, seeing so many Chinese people willing to speak out, I still think it is a progress." Xiaodong said. Xiaodong believes that before such activities, many Chinese people may have political depression, but this kind of activities can "let people with the same thoughts know that they are not alone."

"This is the change," Xiaodong said.

Coco is an international student in the UK. She told NGOCN that she is pessimistic about the impact of this protest. "I feel that most of you are still very cautious, but this is the first time after all," she said, "but it's better to have something than nothing, and the symbolic meaning is also meaningful. Maybe if there are more activities like this, there will be cohesion and centripetal force, and it will bring Let’s make some deeper changes.”

"I am very happy to subvert the state power with my sisters"

After five o'clock in the afternoon, Nana and two other female partners walked from the crowd to the center of the venue. They bought three iron chains at their own expense and tied each other together, imitating the "Lady in Chains" to satirize and protest the The "Feng County Woman Giving Eight Children Incident" exposed on social media.

At the scene, the posters and actions they produced wanted to reflect more abundant elements, reflecting broader and common problems in Chinese society.

Nana said that before participating in this event, she had already observed divisive and contradictory voices in the Telegram discussion group. "For example, I have seen some people who do not support Hong Kong, do not support Taiwan, or directly attack feminism. Some people will achieve the purpose of insulting leaders by feminizing the object of insult. This behavior is very misogynistic and makes I felt uncomfortable. Because of these things, my trust in the people who were there with me was not as strong."

Nana decided to work with feminist partners to create a space where women can behave more comfortably. "Participating in this event, what we want is to prepare together with women's rights sisters, and do more creative and memorable actions together."

"Many democratic movements may not pay much attention to women's issues," Nana said. "I especially hope that in such social movements, you can see a lot of women speaking out. At the same time, women face a unique gender dilemma in Chinese society. .I speak out for feminist issues, which is my insistence. As long as I am there, feminist issues must be there.”

Therefore, Nana and her feminist partners put a lot of thought into the design and production behavior. For example, the production of placards that read "I am very happy to subvert the state power with my sisters", the simulation of "The Lady in Chains", and the production of Dabai protective clothing with bloody handprints. Nana said: "I feel a lot of support from the sisters in this, it is a very safe space. Everyone is supporting and understanding each other, and many of my ideas are also completed based on their actions, and the degree of completion is very high .”

Lulu is one of this group of feminist partners. She said that before the protests began, she had heard some people in the group make misogynistic remarks and cut seats with Hong Kong people. Therefore, at the beginning of the event, she was not only afraid of meeting people who opposed the demonstrations, but also people who had made misogynistic remarks in the group. But as more and more pro-feminist partners came forward, she felt more courageous. “I felt less intimidated when I made bloody handprints with fellow feminists, chanted Stone Bridge signs, and chanted ‘Stay with oppressed people everywhere,’ with protesters,” she said.

Coco, as a woman and a feminist, also expressed her views on the participation of women in this protest. She said it was her first time participating in a "domestic related" protest. Coco believes that the participation and leadership of women in this event is very high. "Before, women's oppression (issue) was a proof against dictatorship, but it has not been the main line. And (women) are represented", and now, "It's great to see us step up and express ourselves and be very dominant."

"When will our social movement have the scale of Iran?"

At around six o'clock in the evening, the protest ended with the last round of slogans. At this time, the Iranian demonstrations on the side were still in full swing. Many on-site participants said that they "envy the Iranians' resistance."

Lulu said: "I really envy the gatherings of Iranians. Everyone can dance and sing together without being afraid of revealing their identities."

Nana said: "My hope for the future is that, at least in the UK, we can have a social movement on the scale of the demonstrations next to Iran. I really hope that we also have these large demonstrations, and that many men also speak out for women scene."

"In the UK, many Chinese are still in a state of political apathy, either don't care, or are 'pink'. I especially hope to influence this part of the people, to infect more potential activists, and let them know that there is nothing wrong with taking action. That's scary. Because you don't care about politics, one day in the future, you will definitely be caught up in political issues."

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the crowd basically dispersed, but there were still a few people staying on the scene to discuss. When the last group of participants was about to leave, someone came forward to remind an Asian man wearing sunglasses not far away who had been standing and watching, "somewhat suspicious", and advised everyone present to leave as soon as possible.

After the protest ended, Ning Zhitou returned home. When answering the question of why she dared to come to the scene to protest alone, she said that it was the men protesting on the Sitong Bridge in Beijing who encouraged her. "He dares to show up in Beijing alone. I'm thousands of miles away. Why can't I do it?"

On the night of the event, many participants expressed regret that they did not have their own protest songs. "When will we have our own song? But censorship makes it difficult to produce such works, and sometimes even the lyrics of the national anthem are censored."

"And who are we? China's history, geography, and culture span too much. Can there really be a song and a slogan that can express everyone's demands? How can we be qualified to make decisions for others?" Lulu said.

(Photography: Chestnut, tamyuca. At the request of the interviewees, the names in the text are pseudonyms)

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