Anti-CCP Protesters March in New York Ahead of Xi Visit; Police Detain Man From Opposing March After Attack

Chinese pro-democracy activists marched through the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in New York on Sept. 20, calling for an end to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule despite bomb and death threats surrounding the demonstration.

Police later detained a man after he rushed toward the demonstrators, grabbed activist Yang Lei’s protest sign, and kicked him.

The demonstration came days before CCP leader Xi Jinping’s Sept. 23–25 visit to Washington.

Participants gathered near the Flushing branch of Queens Public Library before carrying a mock coffin through the neighborhood. The coffin bore the English slogan “END CCP” and Chinese wording calling for the CCP to be buried.

Several Chinese democracy and human rights groups organized the march. Participants carried anti-CCP signs and chanted slogans opposing communist rule and Xi.

Jie Lijian, chairman of the China Democracy Party International Alliance, pointed to S.Res.444, which the Senate adopted by voice vote on June 16. The resolution condemns Xi for undermining peace and security and orchestrating crimes against humanity. It also says the CCP under Xi is responsible for genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim populations.

Jie told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that the CCP has long violated human rights, suppressed dissidents, restricted freedom of speech and religion, and persecuted ethnic minorities.

“We want to tell the world today: The United States should not become a stage for an authoritarian ruler to polish his image,” Jie said. “Xi Jinping coming to the United States, in our view, is a grave insult and desecration of this land of the free and home of the brave.”

Participants also displayed boards listing what they called the CCP’s “10 major crimes,” including human rights abuses, transnational repression, overseas police stations, fentanyl trafficking, digital surveillance, the spread of COVID-19, and threats to peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Bomb Threat Sent to Library, Organizers

Jie told The Epoch Times that he, his organization, and Queens Public Library had received a series of bomb and death threats before the event.

An email sent to the library’s customer-service department claimed explosives and a remote detonating device had been placed inside the Flushing branch and threatened an explosion if China Democracy Party members and other anti-CCP groups were allowed to hold their demonstration.

Police searched the library and determined that the threat was false. The branch opened at noon as scheduled.

Man Detained After Attack

As the anti-CCP march moved through Flushing, it encountered another procession whose participants carried Chinese national flags.

The procession was organized by Better Chinatown USA and publicly presented as an event marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Participants included several Chinese regional and hometown associations.

A source familiar with the event, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that the procession was actually a pro-CCP welcome rally held ahead of Xi’s visit, that most of the participating groups and individuals also planned to travel to Washington to welcome Xi, and that about $500,000 had been provided for the event. The source of funding wasn’t publicly identified.

The two sides exchanged slogans as police stood nearby.

A man wearing blue then rushed from the pro-CCP group toward Yang, grabbed his protest sign, and kicked him.

Police restrained the man and took him away in a patrol vehicle.

The NYPD had not publicly released his identity or announced charges as of Sept. 21.

Jie told The Epoch Times that while he and others were later at the NYPD’s 109th Precinct reporting the incident, he received another threatening email shortly after 6 p.m. The message threatened officers at the precinct and their family members with vehicle attacks or poisoning.

Jie said the threats would not stop the protesters, who planned to travel to Washington and continue demonstrating during Xi’s visit.

Attacks During Xi’s 2023 Visit

Anti-CCP protesters faced similar violence during Xi’s November 2023 visit to San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

On Nov. 20, 2023, at least 40 anti-CCP protesters were subjected to physical attacks during the three-day summit, according to eyewitnesses.

China Democracy Party official Chen Chuangchuang said he was pepper-sprayed by pro-CCP demonstrators. Other protesters reported beatings that left two people injured, including one who required emergency room treatment.

In another incident on Nov. 15, 2023, Jason Blair, a reporter from The Epoch Times’ sister outlet NTD, was covering a Falun Gong demonstration near San Francisco’s Moscone Center when a man kicked over audio equipment, tried to tear down a banner, and then attacked Blair as he filmed him.

Blair told The Epoch Times in an interview that evening that the man struck his arm and hand while apparently trying to hit his phone. A plainclothes officer restrained the attacker.

In December 2023, leaders of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China asked the Justice Department to investigate whether violence against protesters during Xi’s San Francisco visit had been planned or instigated by CCP elements or Chinese diplomats in the United States and whether it constituted transnational repression.

Lin Dan contributed to this report.