Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, delivered a speech to an audience of hundreds of demonstrators in Piccadilly Circus. They had gathered to protest China holding the Winter Olympics, with many branding it the ‘genocide games’ due to the country’s alleged human rights abuses, and treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Protestors attended the two-hour rally in Piccadilly Circus holding banners reading: “Together We Resist”, “Beijing 2022 = sports washing Genocide”, and “Where are my relatives?”, eluding to claims that more than a million Uyghur Muslims have been incarcerated in camps by authorities.
The event was covered in Jewish News. Read here.
Nusrat's speech (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY]
It’s fantastic to be here today and to be speaking to all of you, and a very happy Lunar New Year to all of you celebrating.
Tomorrow, the Beijing Winter Olympics kicks off in China.
If you tune in to the opening ceremony, you will see China tell a sanitised version of its story.
You’ll probably see lots of dancing, music, fireworks.
What you won’t see is any evidence of the crackdown against Hong Kongers.
Or the persecution and human rights abuses in Tibet.
Or the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang against the Uyghur.
That’s because China will try and use these Olympics to ‘sportswash’ its reputation.
It’s now engaging in one of the most expense PR exercises in recent history.
But let me tell you this.
We will not let China off the hook.
We will not forget Hong Kong.
We will not forget Tibet.
And we will not forget the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs.
So while I will be cheering on Team GB’s amazing athletes, I will not be buying into any of the Chinese Government’s propaganda and spin.
The shame on China is clear.
No diplomatic presence from international Governments including the UK.
Whatever China says, they have failed to bring together the international community for these genocide Games.
No one can now deny the grotesque human rights abuses, torture, and the crime of all crimes, genocide, taking place in Xinjiang, thanks to the evidence collected and presented at the Uyghur Tribunal.
No company, CEO, or Chinese official can pretend they did not know how women, men and children are being terrorised at the hands of the CCP.
The Uyghur Tribunal has put down a marker.
So, once again, I want to make this clear.
Companies that are profiting from this genocide, you will not be forgiven.
History will remember that you chose profit over humanity.
I want to finish by talking about two anniversaries that are very important to me.
I’ve just celebrated the first, which was the one year birthday of the fantastic Hong Kong BN(O) scheme.
The Government, seeing Beijing crackdown on civil liberties and freedoms in Hong Kong, stepped up.
And so far we have had the honour of welcoming nearly 90,000 Hong Kongers to our amazing country.
If you are one of those Hong Kongers, I say this – welcome.
The second anniversary comes next month.
On the 26 March, I will have been sanctioned for exactly a year by the Chinese Communist Party.
These sanctions were an effort to limit free speech, to scare us into submission, and to stop us talking about the genocide in Xinjiang.
They tried to separate me from my Uyghur women.
But the Chinese Communist Party has failed.
So keep heart throughout this Olympics and for the months and years ahead.
And know that this Parliament, 650 MPs, have made it clear that China is guilty of genocide in Xinjiang, horrific crimes in Tibet, and crushing freedom in Hong Kong.
We will not be cowered by sanctions – instead of separating us, they have brought Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uyghurs side by side.
And this Parliament will always be here to champion your causes.
