Thousands took to the streets July 31 in cities across the world to draw attention to the plight of the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims. In London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Toronto, Washington D.C., Auckland, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, they raised their voices to demand an end to the Chinese Communist Party campaign against their brothers and sisters in East Turkestan.
Bitter Winter’s Ruth Ingram attended the protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in London where a 15-year-old girl brought the crowd to tears.
“This is an ethnic cleansing, a growing genocide,” the young woman told those assembled in protest. “Over 1.8 million people. Humans. Just like you and me. Somebody’s partner, sibling, parent, friend. You name it. Someone who meant the world to somebody.”
“Wearing your hijab. Attending a mosque. Abstaining yourself from alcohol and cigarettes. A personal choice, is it not? Listening to a religious lecture. Speaking your native language in public—something that holds a connection to you and your history… Now you tell me the crime, pick and choose! The list is endless.”
“In another life, this could’ve been you. Your mother. Your sister. You. Suffering a life of torment for an invalid reason.”
“Are we that scared of letting our economy crumble by a minor amount that we are willing to let millions of lives suffer under the occupation of this genocide?… Every human life is worth so much more.”
The London protest was organized by Islam21C with support from over 50 Muslim organizations.
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