We must stop ignoring the human tragedy of the Uyghurs

Various parts of the internet have been calling out China for its treatment of the Uyghurs among other issues for years. But it was only when Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, near the end of his term, formally accused China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of genocide that people took notice.

This was a diplomatic coup from Trump and Pompeo as it forced the new Biden administration to acknowledge this truth or be accused of genocide denial. As such Antony Blinken, Biden’s Secretary of State, noted warmonger, washed-up diplomat, and sometimes musician, was forced to agree with this assessment that yes, the CCP is committing genocide against its Uyghur population.

To those of us who have followed the CCP for years or know anything about Chinese history this is no surprise. Their degrading treatment of their own population is apparently something we have waved off over the decades but now there is at least some acknowledgment of the evils of this regime. The world fears China. Therefore, their actions over Tibet, Tiananmen Square, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, to name a few, have met with little real resistance globally. 

Their degrading treatment of their own population is apparently something we have waved off over the decades but now there is at least some acknowledgment of the evils of this regime

It also does not help that those who speak up get blacklisted. Jack Ma criticised the banks and has been ‘vanished’, although he has momentarily resurfaced after three months. He is being kept under tight control. Never forget the original Covid-19 whistle-blower, Li Wenliang, was silenced and then suspiciously died of Covid-19 himself – all rather convenient. Then when the CCP lost control of the narrative they changed from calling him an evil liar to a noble hero who sadly died after a brave fight, pinning the blame on local police. The open evilness is sickening, yet regarding the Uyghur’s treatment the world has slept on it.

So, what have they been accused of and does it make a genocide? Uyghurs have been forced into what are essentially concentration camps, for the purposed of re-education into communist ideology and to be made into atheists to make them loyal citizens under the CCP or face extermination. Freedom of religion, speech, and association have been abolished, that is if they ever technically had it. Not only do they face arbitrary imprisonment, but Uyghur women have been forcefully sterilised to stop the population from growing.

To top this off it could not get any more on the nose than reports that the CCP has them picking cotton. The Chinese Embassy in America even had the gall to claim that the Uyghurs were grateful for all this. They said it was to counter terrorism (that useful excuse the US used to subject its population to the PATRIOT act) and that “the minds of Uygur women in Xinjiang were emancipated and gender equality and reproductive health were promoted, making them no longer baby-making machines. They are more confident and independent.”

Freedom of religion, speech, and association have been abolished, that is if they ever technically had it

Twitter then had the gall to let this stay up until they were hounded into removing this piece of disgusting propaganda. To say that these actions, which the US and other believe amount to genocide, are beneficial for the victims is gaslighting on an enormous scale. This idea and rhetoric that you will suffer and be thankful for it is an awful narrative – we should not let this go unchecked. The Uyghurs are not the only targets of actions designed to solidify the CCP’s political, cultural, and ethnic hegemony over its territories: we cannot forget the plights of Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other areas of western China.

Events such as the recent threats to attack Taiwan, the crushing of Hong Kong, and the genocide of the Uyghurs are not unconnected, neither are Xi Jingping’s “anti-corruption purges” (which have almost nothing to do with anti-corruption), the disappearance of Jack Ma, or their attempt to coverup their role in unleashing Covid-19 on the world. If one part of Trump’s legacy remains it should be Pompeo’s final frantic actions which started this conversation on the CCP and the treatment of its Uyghur population and other groups on China’s periphery. It is a purposeful failure of the establishment and foreign policy elite who have tried to ignore what everyone on the internet has seen for years. It is long overdue for people to wake up and see what is happening and admit it, our leaders cannot be fearful of China forever.

A probe into these accusations will be difficult. Like the Covid-19 probe, the CCP will try to deflect, derail and subsequently whitewash. The world is fearful of China and/or has sold out both literally and figuratively, so unless the public demand our supposed leaders do something, they will continue to take the easy option of letting it slide because they get a more comfortable life from it.