Press Release

On April 12th, 2024, the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP hosted a screening of “Not the Foreign Force”, also known as “Urumqi Road” (乌鲁木齐中路), in partnership with Boston Chinese Diaspora for Human Rights (螢火蟲行動者).

The film depicts the nationwide protests against the COVID-19 lockdown measures in China. These demonstrations erupted in Shanghai after a fire killed at least 10 people in Urumqi (local residents reported reported 40+ deaths), where lockdown policies had slowed down fire services. During the rallies, known as the “White Paper Protests,” participants held blank sheets of paper to symbolize systematic censorship by the Chinese government. 

Earlier this year, Chinese authorities arrested and charged the director of the film, Chen Pinlin (also known as Plato). This Boston event was part of a series of global screening series of the film in solidarity with Chen.

Around 75 Boston community members filled Harvard University’s Tsai Auditorium on the evening of April 12th for the screening. After the film, the audience participated in a candid discussion about their experiences and perceptions of the White Paper Protests as well as the intersection of the Chinese freedom movement with those of Tibet, Taiwan, East Turkestan, and Hong Kong. Attendees from these latter communities engaged in open conversation with Chinese and Chinese-American attendees about each community’s fears and goals, as well as how they could better communicate and support each other going forward.