Uyghur protests in Sydney, Australia

Uyghur protesters at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney. (Photo by Mryna Mack)

On the 8th July, around 100 Uyghurs demonstrated outside the compound of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, against the Chinese military crackdown in Xinjiang on Uyghur people who were peacefully protesting. They demanded that the Chinese Communist Government stop killing Uighur people and release the Uyghurs that they arrested.

The Uyghur protesters were emotional and angry and held the blue star and moon flag of East Turkistan, and placards demanding that China stop the massacre of the Uyghur people, and give back freedom to the Uyghur people.

Kuranda Seyit, spokesman of the Australian branch of the World Uyghur Congress, said at the rally: "The people in Xinjiang were carrying out a peaceful protest activity, they wish to be like in Australia, where no one will shot or subject to suppression, where there is democracy and freedom for life. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not only persecutes Uyghur people, they persecute all with different faiths, people of different races, including Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners. The world is an international family of nations, we are here to appeal to Western free society to stand up together to condemn these acts, we also call on the Australian government to condemn and put an end to the Chinese Government’s acts of violence, tell them 'enough, stop the persecution!'"

Several protesters told how they searched everywhere for the truth of the massacre on Internet videos, and various forums, hoping to find information about their loved ones. Many people were in tears.

The protesters shouted slogans: "Freedom for Uyghurs, freedom for Tibet, Freedom for Falun Gong, stop persecuting Falun Gong."