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The protests and riots following the death of George Floyd have prompted Chinese state media to belittle human rights in the United States and equated the situation with the Hong Kong protests. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then issued a statement in response to the attacks, pointing out the differences between China and the United States and slamming the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its false propaganda and for trying to whitewash its dictatorship.
On June 6, Pompeo issued a statement to reprimand the CCP for exploiting George Floyd’s death and trying to legitimize its authoritarian rule.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s callous exploitation of the tragic death of George Floyd to justify its authoritarian denial of basic human dignity exposes its true colors yet again. As with dictatorships throughout history, no lie is too obscene, so long as it serves the Party’s lust for power. This laughable propaganda should not fool anyone,” Pompeo said.
Xue Chi, a China issues research scholar, based in the U.S., told China Forbidden News: “There is a profound background to Pompeo’s statement, a statement published as a strong retaliation to the CCP’s propaganda. This background is that, in the context of the confrontation between China and the United States, the Chinese Communist Party has used every opportunity to plant evidence, to frame and to smear the United States.”
On May 25, Minnesota resident George Floyd was reported to police for using a fake banknote in a store and was apprehended by an officer who knelt on his neck for nine minutes, resulting in Floyd’s death. The police officer was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. The incident triggered many protests and riots in Minnesota and many other states across the U.S. and included arson, looting, and even several killings. In order to ensure the safety of the legitimate protestors and the public, police and the National Guard were called to control the riots.
Yet the CCP took the opportunity to launch a propaganda campaign to bad-mouth human rights in the United States and equated the incident with the Hong Kong protests and it needs to crack down on Hong Kong protesters.
However, according to many reports, the Floyd riots were organized by a number of leftist groups, including by the CCP itself. For instance, in a video of riots near the White House on June 1st, someone is heard yelling in Chinese: “Hurry up! Hurry, let’s leave!”
“The CCP definitely secretly hid behind and manipulated the riots. Now it is using the incident to justify its brutal suppression of Hong Kong people’s resistance. Such action is despicable in everyone’s view,” Xue Chin said.
Tian Yuan, a current affairs commentator, also expressed his opinion that the George Floyd case is just one case of police brutality against a black man and does not represent the attitude by law enforcement throughout the United States. All peaceful protests are allowed in the United States, but killing, arson, violent destruction of property, and looting are crimes that put everyone in danger. Moreover, the protests and demonstrations in Hong Kong are legal, and it is the Hong Kong police that is using violence in confronting peaceful protestors.
Tian Yuan further reiterated: “China is not a normal country. Universal values and truth are welcomed in free democratic countries but become hearsay in China and can be suppressed. There are countless examples of this, one example is freedom of religious beliefs. All of these examples show clearly the contrast between China and the rest of the world.”
As Mike Pompeo said in his statement: “In China when a church burns, the attack was almost certainly directed by the CCP. In America, when a church burns, the arsonists are punished by the government, and it is the government that brings fire trucks, water, aid, and comfort to the faithful.”
Pompeo continued: “In China, peaceful protesters from Hong Kong to Tiananmen Square are clubbed by armed militiamen for simply speaking out. Reporters writing of these indignities are sentenced to long terms in prison. In the United States, law enforcement––both state and federal––brings rogue officers to justice, welcomes peaceful protests while forcefully shutting down looting and violence, and exercises power pursuant to the Constitution to protect property and liberty for all. Our free press covers events wall to wall, for all the world to see.”
Pompeo also mentioned the CCP virus pandemic in his statement: “In China, when doctors and journalists warn of the dangers of a new disease, the CCP silences and disappears them, and lies about death totals and the extent of the outbreak. In the United States, we value life and build transparent systems to treat, cure, and underwrite––more than any other nation––pandemic solutions for the globe.”
“Beijing in recent days has showcased its continuing contempt for the truth and scorn for the law. The CCP’s propaganda efforts–– seeking to conflate the United States’ actions in the wake of the death of George Floyd with the CCP’s continued denial of basic human rights and freedom––should be seen for the fraud that they are,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo also emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party imprisons people who think differently, and when people embrace their freedom, that freedom is suppressed, and the people have to surrender to the Party’s commands and demands. But even in the midst of the riots, the United States is steadfast in its commitment to freedom, the rule of law, transparency, and inalienable human rights.
Pompeo’s statement ended, saying: ”During the best of times, the PRC ruthlessly imposes communism. Amid the most difficult challenges, the United States secures freedom.”
