On July 5th, 2009, over 1000 Uyghur university students peacefully demonstrated on the streets of Ürümchi, the capital city of East Turkistan. This protest was triggered by the unsatisfactory response of the government regarding the murder of at least two Uyghur workers by the Chinese workers in a toy factory in Shaoguan City, Guangdong province. Many believe that the growing dissent among the Uyghurs towards oppressive Chinese government policies in East Turkistan was the root cause of this incident. The peaceful demonstration turned violent because of the government’s harsh crackdown with military force, during which more than 200 civilians were killed, and 1800 injured. This massacre has been known as the most serious political event in the history of East Turkistan following China’s occupation in 1949. Thousands of Uyghurs were arrested, and many were sentenced to death or jailed. Many others disappeared in the following months. Each year, Uyghurs from the global diaspora commemorate the anniversary of this bloody incident.

This is just one example of the Chinese government's oppression of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. Today, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania and the Czech Republic recognize that the Chinese government is committing genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples of East Turkistan. Moreover, according to Beijing's reports, it is estimated that over 6 million Uyghurs are currently held in modern concentration camps and forced labour camps in China.

For commemorating the Urumchi Massacre as well as the victims of the ongoing genocide, International Support for Uyghurs is organizing a demonstration.

When? Sunday, July 4th, 2021 from 3PM to 5PM
Where? Dorchester Square (Downtown Montreal)

Please join us to show your solidarity and support for the victims of Beijing’s bloody authoritarianism.