AVA HU: A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT IN SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. CHINESE STUDENTS GATHERED AROUND HENDRICKS CHAPEL, MOURNING A DEADLY FIRE LAST THURSDAY IN XINJIANG.
THE EVENT IS HELD BY AN ANONYMOUS STUDENT, INDEPENDENT OF ANY ORGANIZATION. SHE SAID HER MOTIVATION IS REALLY SIMPLE-AT THE BEGINNING.
ORGANIZER: BECAUSE I AM SAD, SO I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT I CAN.
AND THERE ARE NO HIGH HOPES. A PARTICIPANT SAID SHE THOUGHT THERE WON’T BE MANY PEOPLE SHOWING UP. SHE WAS ALREADY PREPARED TO HOLD UP FLYERS BY HERSELF.
PARTICIPANT: I WAS HONESTLY SURPRISED LOTS OF PEOPLE JOINED ME.
IT TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY THAN ANYONE EXPECTED.
HU: TONIGHT THERE ARE OVER TWO HUNDRED CHINESE STUDENTS STOPPING BY HENDRICKS CHAPEL. STUDENTS BRING FLOWERS, CANDLES, AND POSTERS. IN MOST POSTERS, THEY WISH XINJIANG CITY ALL THE BEST. SOME POSTERS ALSO EXPRESS THEIR EAGER FOR FREEDOM. AROUND 6:30, A LITTLE PROTEST HAPPENED AROUND THE STAIRS. STUDENTS HOLD WHITE PAPERS AS A SARCASM TO CHINESE CENSORSHIP POLICY.
THE WHITE PAPER IS A METAPHOR- FOR THE POSTS THAT HAVE BEEN WIPED FROM THE INTERNET. CHINA HAS MOVED QUICKLY TO SUPPRESS DEMONSTRATIONS TRIGGERED BY THE XINJIANG FIRE. WHILE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE JOINED PROTESTS IN CITIES ACROSS CHINA -AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT’S ZERO-COVID POLICY. THE PARTY DEPLOYING POLICE FORCES AND TIGHTENING ONLINE CENSORSHIP.
BEFORE THAT NIGHT, WHEN SOME STUDENTS PROMOTED THE VIGIL ON WECHAT, AN APP UNDER CHINESE CENSORSHIP, THE NOTICE WAS REPORTED AND DELETED.
THAT RAISES LOTS OF CRITICISM EVEN BEFORE THE EVENT STARTED. STUDENTS WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT IF THE EVENT COULD CHANGE ANYTHING. BUT FOR MANY PARTICIPANTS, IT’S BETTER THAN KEEPING SILENT.
PARTICIPANT: I COULD AT LEAST SLEEP AT NIGHT.
HU: GAO WEI, THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, SAID SHE WAS MOVED BY WHAT STUDENTS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED TONIGHT.
GAO WEI: “THIS INCIDENT CAN NOT BE PLANNED, SO THERE IS REALLY NO TIME FOR STUDENTS TO RESPOND TO START THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE. RESERVING THE SPACE, NOTIFYING THE OFFICER, AND GETTING THE WORDS OUT. FOR ONE THING, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE OFFICE HAS BEEN EXTREMELY QUICK, RIGHT TO THE POINT, AND THERE ARE LOTS OF SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING. AND ALSO JUST SYMPATHY FOR STUDENTS’ FEELINGS.”
HU: ALTHOUGH EVENTS LIKE THAT MAY NOT CHANGE A COUNTRY’S POLICY, IT DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PARTICIPANT’S LIVES. I AM AVA HU, FROM NCC NEWS.
