Amsterdam Commemorates 16th Anniversary of Urumqi Massacre, Uyghurs and Chinese Dissidents Unite in Call for Justice

Amsterdam, July 5, 2025 – Approximately 100 Uyghurs, Chinese democracy activists, and supporters gathered at Amsterdam Central Station Square from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM on July 5 to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the 2009 Urumqi Massacre. Organized by the Stichting Support Uyghurs, the event aimed to honor the thousands of Uyghurs arrested, disappeared, or killed during and after the Urumqi protests in 2009, while calling for international attention to the Chinese government’s ongoing genocide, forced labor, and organ harvesting in East Turkistan. Through the playing of the East Turkistan national anthem, speeches, chants, banners, posters, street theater, and on-site interviews, the rally highlighted the unity of Uyghurs and Chinese dissidents in their fight against oppression.


Background and Demands“We Uyghurs will never forget July 5, 2009: the Urumqi Massacre,” read the event announcement. The rally aimed to commemorate the victims of the July 5, 2009, protests in Urumqi and protest the Chinese government’s ongoing genocidal policies in East Turkistan. On June 26, 2009, Uyghur workers transported 5,300 kilometers from Kashgar’s Shufu County to a toy factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong, were violently attacked by Han Chinese workers following false rumors, resulting in multiple deaths. 

This incident sparked peaceful protests in Urumqi, which were met with brutal suppression by Chinese police and military, leading to thousands of Uyghur deaths, injuries, or disappearances. Since then, the Chinese government has intensified its surveillance, detention, and cultural erasure policies, including the establishment of mass “re-education camps” and forced labor systems.Participants waved East Turkistan flags and displayed posters exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights abuses, including calls to locate missing Uyghur family members. They demanded that the Chinese government disclose the truth about the 2009 Urumqi Massacre, end genocide, forced labor, and organ harvesting, and urged the international community to boycott products made with Uyghur forced labor, close the concentration camps, and support East Turkistan’s independence.


Speeches: 

Condemning Atrocities, Calling for JusticeAbdurehim Gheni, Chairman of Stichting Support Uyghurs, recounted the background of the Urumqi Massacre, highlighting the Shaoguan incident as its catalyst. He described how Uyghur workers were forcibly transported to Guangdong for labor, only to face violent attacks on June 26, 2009, sparked by false accusations. On July 5, Urumqi students holding Chinese flags protested peacefully for justice but were met with gunfire and suppression by Chinese police and military, who reportedly used novel phosphorus weapons, leading to mass arrests and executions. 

Gheni stated, “We demand the Chinese government disclose the truth about those killed and imprisoned in the 2009 Urumqi Massacre. Support Uyghurs and take action to stop the Uyghur genocide before it’s too late.”Ainiwar Mamat, head of the Dutch Uyghur Foundation, emphasized that the Urumqi Massacre marked a turning point for Uyghurs. “Sixteen years ago, students, youth, and women protested peacefully in Urumqi but faced brutal suppression. Overnight, 40,000 people were killed, and thousands were detained,” he said. He highlighted China’s subsequent genocidal policies, including the detention of 3 million Uyghurs, forced separation of 890,000 children, and forced sterilization of women aged 18 to 50. He called for global awareness of this “silent genocide” and led chants of “Free East Turkistan! Independent East Turkistan!”

Abdusalam Gheni condemned the Chinese government for labeling the Urumqi protests a “riot” and cutting off internet and phone services for 10 months, stifling information flow. He noted that 16 years later, conditions in East Turkistan have worsened, with Uyghurs facing genocide and mass detention, making independence the only solution. He chanted, “Fascist China, get out! Terrorist China, get out! We want freedom!”

Liu Feilong, member of the Cantonese Independence Party, spoke in Dutch and Mandarin, stressing solidarity with Uyghurs against the CCP. He attributed the Urumqi Massacre to the CCP’s forced labor policies, which continue to fuel global markets via platforms like Temu and Shein. Referencing a July 3 Daily Mail report about China’s plans to build six new organ transplant centers in Xinjiang, he warned, “If we remain silent, organ transplant centers will proliferate.” He called for boycotting forced labor products, closing camps, and ending organ harvesting.

Jiang Peikun, a Cantonese activist from Shunde, Cantonia, spoke in English and Cantonese, expressing solidarity with Uyghurs. He identified the CCP’s forced labor policies as the root of ethnic conflicts and called for closing concentration camps and organ transplant centers, holding the CCP and Xi Jinping accountable, and chanting, “Down with the Communist Party! Down with Xi Jinping!”

Event Highlights and Street TheaterThe rally featured a powerful street theater performance where a volunteer dressed as Xi Jinping was symbolically “paraded” to denounce his crimes. East Turkistan flags and posters exposing forced labor, detention, and missing Uyghur families were prominently displayed. Participants chanted slogans like “Free East Turkistan” and “China, get out,” showcasing the unity of Uyghurs and Chinese dissidents. The event concluded with a group photo amid resounding chants, symbolizing solidarity against CCP oppression.


Interviews:

 Voices of Survivors and DissidentsKalbinur Sidik, a Uyghur survivor who taught in two “re-education camps” in Urumqi, expressed gratitude to Han Chinese supporters for braving windy weather. She urged the international community to stop the CCP’s genocide, condemned the reported plan to build six new organ transplant centers, and stated, “We must never forget these massacres.” She also criticized CCP-sponsored influencers’ “beautification propaganda” in East Turkistan, urging the public not to be deceived.

Chen Zhi, a Hubei native and Dutch member of the Chinese Democracy Party Overseas Committee, mourned the Urumqi victims and condemned the CCP’s oppressive system. He noted that forced labor extends beyond Uyghurs to Chinese society at large and linked profits from such labor to CCP military expansion. He expressed outrage at the organ transplant center reports, citing cases like Hu Xinyu’s as evidence of a broader “organ black market,” and called for intensified global sanctions to dismantle the CCP’s regime.

Chen Yuanzhang, another Chinese Democracy Party member, denounced the CCP’s organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs, describing citizens as treated like “livestock.” He called for a democratic, free, and lawful China and urged spreading information to awaken brainwashed Chinese citizens.

Liu Zhaoyang, an exiled Chinese activist in Italy, attended to oppose the CCP’s oppression of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and others. He supported boycotting forced labor products and proposed a BDS-style movement against China to prevent further human rights disasters.

Sui Xiaobo, a Hunan dissident and Dutch Chinese Democracy Party member, called Xinjiang’s “vocational training centers” disguised concentration camps, stripping Uyghurs of their language, culture, and religion. He warned that organ harvesting extends to ordinary citizens and urged global attention to these atrocities.

Wei Zhijian, an Kwangsi dissident and Chinese Democracy Party member, supported Uyghur independence and condemned forced labor as “inhumane.” He expressed shock at the organ transplant center reports, calling them “genocidal” and urging the UN and civilized nations to act. He vowed never to buy forced labor products.


Public and Media ResponseThe rally drew attention from tourists, many of whom photographed the event. Tensions arose when a female “little pink” argued with Dutch human rights defender Max van den Berg. The event had official permits, with several police vehicles on standby to ensure safety.ConclusionThe Amsterdam Central Station Square rally not only commemorated the victims of the Urumqi Massacre but also demonstrated the united resolve of Uyghurs and Chinese dissidents. Participants called for decisive international action to halt the CCP’s genocide, forced labor, and organ harvesting, and to support East Turkistan’s freedom and independence.
Editor: Jiang Peikun