Aotearoa Solidarity Aotearoa NZ will be joined by members of the public and the peace community in gathering outside the Chinese Consulate in Auckland, to protest the persecution of Uyghurs, on Wednesday 21st April, from 4:45 pm to 6 pm. 

“At the front gate of the Chinese Consulate we bring our fears for the safety and concern for the pain of those Uyghur who are suffering at the handds of the CCP. We will continue to use our freedom to stand up for those inside China and occupied East Turkistan (or Xinjiang), who are made to submit to authoritarian rule,” says Uyghur Solidarity Aotearoa NZ spokesperson Eliana Darroch.

“We stand in solidarity with the Uyghurs, and demand that the Chinese government immediately halt the genocide which has seen millions of people interred in concentration camps, birthrates plummet, the destruction of Uyghur cultural sites and ways of life, the establishment of Uyghur slave labour, torture and deeply traumatic horrors, in an attempt to eradicate the Uyghur people," says Darroch.

“The government of China is attempting to break the spirit of the Uyghur people through its crimes against humanity.”

“Our protest is taking place on what was Māori land. Our respect goes to tāngata whenua, who have also survived attempted genocide, and persevered with determination.”

“For the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, we won’t turn a blind eye to the atrocities being committed against the Uyghurs, for the sake of financial gain through trade with China. Our human conscience is not that cheap. We know that the world, including New Zealand, needs to take a united stand against the oppression of the Uyghurs, and hold pressure that China stop the genocide.”

“The New Zealand government needs to do more to ensure that trade by New Zealand businesses is ethical, that we are not receiving tainted money at the expense of our humanity. The New Zealand government needs to exercise its kindness with meaningful steps to provide safety for Uyghurs escaping the CCP's grip.” according to Uyghur Solidarity Aotearoa NZ spokesperson Eliana Darroch

“The situation is urgent. We fear that with every day that passes, more Uyghurs are killed and die in the concentration camps,” says Uyghur Solidarity Aotearoa NZ spokesperson Sam Vincent.

“The message we are hearing from the Uyghur community is that Uyghurs just want to be with their families, and know that their families are safe. Instead, for Uyghurs living in New Zealand, contact with family members back home has been severed, and some live in fear for their personal safety,” says Vincent.

“In occupied East Turkistan (or Xinjiang), Uyghur families are fractured and traumatised, with parents and elders in concentration camps, or displaced as slave labourers, while their children live in assimilation orphanages where they lose their language, culture and identity. Alongside the Chinese government’s campaign of forced sterilisation, these policies are designed to eliminate the Uyghur people.” Vincent said.

“We want to be clear: this is not an internal China issue, this is an international human rights issue. An indigenous minority are being subjected to horrific oppression, for simply being who they are. For being Muslim. For being from land which China wants to control.”

“We extend our solidarity to Chinese people, especially those who also live in fear of the authoritarian state of China. Our issue is with the oppressive government, not regular Chinese people.” Vincent says.

© Scoop Media