Action 10-01 Launched
Protests planned for October 1st in China
Washington, DC – Citizen Power for China (CPFC, aka Initiatives for China) is calling for the Chinese people to join a nationwide action using synchronized noise making such as honking, singing, or banging objects at 10:01 A.M. on October 1, in protest against the unjust execution of Mr. Xia Junfeng.
Xia Junfeng, a street vendor from Shenyang City in Liaoning Province, struggled to earn enough money to take care of his elderly parents and raise his own family. On May 16, 2009, Mr. Xia and his wife Zhang Jing were selling kebab on the street when he was illegally arrested by the local urban management officers. The officers senselessly beat him up on the street and in their office. To defend himself, Xia Junfeng grabbed a fruit knife to fend off his attackers, and in the process fatally stabbed the two officers who were physically beating him. In what should have been a clear case of self-defense, Mr. Xia was instead convicted of murder and executed simply because he was a powerless citizen who dared to defend himself. This is yet another example of the corruption of China’s judicial system.
This CPFC’s protest campaign is code-named “Action 10-01” and it is so named because the date for the action is set for October 1, a date that marks the the 64th anniversary of when the Communist Party of China seized power illegally, and also is the “seventh day” memorial rites for Xia Junfeng, which refers to an important Chinese funeral custom when relatives believe that the soul of the dead will return home on the seventh day of his death.
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| Remembering Xia Junfeng on Oct. 1st, 2013. |
CPFC urges the Chinese citizens to express their outrage and frustration over the tragedy of Xia Junfeng by using the synchronized spontaneity of flash mobs. Citizens can start this protest in their homes, move into their neighborhood and community, and then march to the city or town squares as the situation permits.
Dr. Jianli Yang, founder of CPFC, stated, “Xia Junfeng’s death has led us into a deeper despair against the current regime, but we must convert our pain and frustration into action to obtain justice for him and for his family! By using innovative approaches such as flash mobs, video clips, images and microblogging, we hope that we can comfort Xia Junfeng’s soul and allow him to rest in peace.”