By Anne Kader
On July 5, Uyghurs living in Finland held a protest in Helsinki to commemorate the 2009 Urumqi Massacre. The demonstration was also against the present and ongoing Uyghur genocide committed by the Chinese regime.
Around twenty protesters turned up, the majority of them Uyghurs but also some Finns. Their “Stop Uyghur Genocide” t-shirts conveyed a poignant demand to the Chinese regime, as did the 6-7 meter banner with the same message.
A random “Chinese tourist” appeared in front of the parliament to take photos but zoomed at the protesters instead. When confronted, he quickly fled.
Many Uyghurs are on vacation and thus unable to attend the July 5 protest. Also, the rain right before the event might have kept people away. The total Uyghur population in Finland stand around 300 individual – most living in the Greater Helsinki area.
“Even though the group of protesters was relatively small, I believe it still made an impact”, the organiser said. Many onlookers took photos and stopped to discuss with the protesters about the ongoing genocide of the Uyghurs, including a potential partner for a future demonstration.
