United Kingdom: Parade Supporting 47 Million Withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party

On December 30th 2008, the United Kingdom Alliance held a massive assembly and parade in London “Supporting 47 million Chinese people who have quit the CCP”. Over a hundred people participated in the assembly and parade, they were volunteers from Quitting-Party centers in the UK, a number of pro-democratic movement and democratic personages in the UK as well as dozens of members from the European 'Divine Land Marching Band'

Before the parade, participants held a peaceful assembly in front of the Chinese Embassy, making free speeches and singing songs. After that, along the city road in London's city centre, they started the parade from the Embassy. They walked past Oxford Street and Piccadilly and finally arrived at Whitehall Street next to Downing Street. The parade was composed of the European Divine Land Marching Band, as well as people holding all kinds of banners and placards. The music played by the band attracted attention from crowds on both sides of the road.

With the parade, the reporter had on-site interviews with the audience. One after another, they expressed that they would support Chinese people in their journey to shake off the yoke of the CCP and, together with Chinese people, were looking forward to days when a new China without the Communist Party was born as soon as possible.

Just before the parade started, this reporter saw two young students who happened to pass by and take a picture of the rally with their mobile phones. One said, “ I have never seen such an event. This is an assembly against the Communist Party, I know that the Communist Party doesn’t like it.” He thought that it was very good for the Devine Marching to participate in the parade, this could drew more attention from people. He hoped that more people could pay attention to the information transmitted by the parade.

Because of doing interviews, the reporter was left behind the parade. While passing by a bus stop at

Four or five workers in construction site safety helmets were standing on the road side seriously watching the parade. Among them, a young man named Tony happily accepted an interview: “We are working inside the hotel. We have run out and watch it on hearing the music. I think that the parade is very good. I fully support Chinese people.” While reading the leaflet in his hand he said, “Only through reading the leaflet today, do I know how the CCP persecutes Chinese people. This is terrifying, I will tell my friends about these and tell them to support Chinese people ... The music played by the band is very good and very touching.”

On seeing a young man taking photos of the parade, the reporter approached and interviewed him. His name is Charles and a tourist from Los Angeles, the United States. He said that he did not know much about the CCP’s persecution of human rights. He thought that the fact about China was still being hidden, but more and more about it had been exposed.

The reporter also met another American who stood there at Oxford Street watching the parade. His name is George Deves and from Washington DC, and he has seen many similar parades on TV in the United States. He expressed that he liked freedom , liked such a parade and fully support the those who attended the parade. George thought that the performance by the Divine Marching Band was so attractive and pleasing that he could not help but follow the band for a quite distance.

A Polish man with his family said, “We have clearly got the message from the parade because we are from Poland that used to be ruled by the Communism. We are very supportive of you breaking away from the rule of the Communist Party in China. I am supporting those who fight for freedom, want to be ones free from allowing themselves to be ordered about, and I bless you.” When asked his impression on the Devine Marching Band, the man looked very excited: “I am so deeply moved by the music which is like a heart beat, very powerful. After reading the introduction, we know that members of the band are from different countries in Europe, it is so touching and I appreciate them very much.”

At a cross road of Oxford Street, the reporter saw another family watching the parade carefully. The father carried one of their children on his shoulders. The reporter approached and interviewed them. With the shyness, the wife asked her husband to say something because his English is better. The husband told the reporter that they are from East Germany. He felt very sorry that such a worse situation is still happening in China. Using their power, the small number of corrupt people are fighting against and persecuting those who have good wishes. Both his wife and he hoped that there would be an improvement in China.

The reporter noticed that the parade drew the attention of many children. After the parade passed by Oxford Street, the reporter saw a father, with a leaflet in his hand, explaining something to his son who looked like seven or eight years old. The reporter approached interviewed them: Both of them were tourists from Italy. The father is an engineer who was explaining to his son why people held a parade. The father told the son, "The CCP is killing people". The little boy said immediately, “Killing people is too bad.” The father told the reporter that he had got to know that what is happening in China now after reading the leaflet. And his was fully support the belief of those who participated in the parade.

Turning at the junction of Oxford Street, the reporter saw a family with three members who were well dressed taking photos of the parade. With very standard London accent, she told the reporter: “I am very pleased to see that Chinese people can have freedom in expressing their own opinion in London. Very pleased to find that a group of people have a vision of a new China. I am very much expecting that China can walk again on the international arena and have a tremendous influence to the world. With great interest, I have seen a different opinion (from the CCP’s propaganda). We have seen the time when Chinese people have tremendously influenced the world during the new century. They have right to express their opinion with freedom by using a peaceful method which they think appropriate.”