Nearly 1,000 Chinese Students in Toronto Rally in Solidarity With Protesters in China Against ‘Zero-COVID’ Policies

Nearly 1,000 Chinese students rally in front of the Chinese consulate to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party, in Toronto on Nov. 27, 2022. Michelle Hu/The Epoch Times

TORONTO—Nearly 1,000 students rallied outside the Chinese consulate in Toronto Sunday night, calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as they stood in solidarity with protesters in China following the deaths of at least 10 people in a fire in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi.

“Down with the Chinese Communist Party!” protesters chanted on both sides of the road in front of the consulate. Signs reading “Liberty or Death” and “Justice for Victims of Urumqi & 0f COVID” were held throughout the protest.

A protester speaks in front of the Chinese consulate in Toronto on Nov. 27, 2022. Michelle Hu/The Epoch Times

Protesters place flowers in front of the Chinese consulate to pay tribute to the victims who died in the apartment fire in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi, in Toronto on Nov. 27, 2022. Michelle Hu/The Epoch Times

The outrage was sparked by the tragedy in Urumqi, when first responders were unable to reach an apartment fire that was left to burn for hours due to COVID-19 blockades and lockdowns throughout the residential compound stemming from the CCP’s “zero-COVID” policy.

The protesters, mainly overseas Chinese students, said they felt it was their responsibility to join in the rally, and they were not afraid of retaliation from the CCP.

A protester holds a sign reading “Either we defeat tyranny, or tyranny conquers us” in front of the Chinese consulate in Toronto on Nov. 27, 2022. Michelle Hu/The Epoch Times

Passing cars honked to show their support. Drivers and passengers were seen waving their fists, echoing the slogans of the protesters. A sign reading “Urumqi Rd (M)” was hung on a utility power pole in front of the consulate where supporters queued up to lay flowers for the victims of the deadly fire.

Similar protests were held the same day in major Canadian cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, and Montreal, where protesters, mainly overseas Chinese students, took to the streets, denouncing the tyranny of the CCP and paying tribute to the victims in Xinjiang.

Mass Protests in China

Lin Litong, a representative of Chinese student organization Assembly of Citizens who took part in the Toronto protest, said the CCP has never cared about the people since it seized power in China.

“Today, we are not only here to mourn the victims, but also to question the ‘sealing and zeroing out’ policies,” he said. “And to express our support for this movement, which has not been seen in China for decades.”

Mass protests erupted throughout China after video footage of the Urumqi incident went viral on Chinese social media. Protests broke out in many places across Urumqi on Nov. 25, with angry residents demanding that the citywide lockdown, which had lasted for three to four months, be lifted.

The residents broke blockades and pushed down fences, shouting “down with the Communist Party” and “Xi Jinping should resign.”

Following the protests in Xinjiang, many residents in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and other cities broke through COVID-19 blockades, taking to the streets in violation of the regime’s lockdown orders.

In the UK, protesters reportedly gathered outside the Chinese Embassy in London during the weekend, condemning the Chinese leader.

“Even overseas, the scale of these China Protests are extraordinary. Everyone will be watching the CCP closely to see what their response to the protests will be,” said Abby Fu, a research fellow on China at the Hudson Institute, in a tweet on Nov. 27.

Michelle Hu and Alex Wu contributed to this report.