Chinese police has detained a number of students protesting over the take over of their Marxist society by university officials and members of the student association, following the detention of the leader of their society on the birthday of Chairman Mao.
Whilst the Chinese government supposedly supports the legacy of Chairman Mao, they have continued to crackdown on student organisations and recent graduates who have aligned themselves with labour activists, supporting factory workers and their right to form unions.
The detention of the head of Peaking University’s Marxist society, Qiu Zhanxuan, was reported due to his planned celebration of Mao’s birthday on December 26.
Peaking University later stated Qui was penalised as he “did not have the qualifications” to continue as head of the society.
University officials subsequently scattered members of the society, stating that it was a 'restructure'. None of the students on the approved list were previously members of the society and some had even been involved in harassing the group.
“This was, plain and simple, a plan to restrict my personal freedom and to use these inhuman and illegal means to stop me from going to commemorate Chairman Mao," Qiu Zhanxuan told Reuters.
The incident comes as the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre approaches, where the military brutally suppressed a student-led pro-democracy protest.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
