Human rights activists and Uyghur organization leaders held a protest in Paris to denounce President Emmanuel Macron’s warm welcome to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. Xi visited Paris as part of his European tour, which also included stops in Serbia and Hungary. Macron and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen met with Xi to discuss economic cooperation, but did not address the human rights abuses committed by the Chinese government, including the genocide of the Uyghur people in East Turkistan.
Several groups representing Uyghurs and Tibetans protested in Paris, demanding Macron speak out against China’s human rights violations. China has a long history of abuse against Uyghurs, but under Xi, the situation has escalated to genocide, with mass internment camps and forced sterilization of women.
The protest was organized by the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile and the Uyghur Association of France, with calls for Macron to condemn the genocide unequivocally and support East Turkistan’s right to self-determination. Despite calls from activists and the World Uyghur Congress to raise the issue of genocide with Xi, Macron did not acknowledge the atrocities during their meetings.
Human rights experts have warned against expanding trade ties with China without addressing human rights abuses, as the Communist Party restricts oversight of supply chains. Macron hosted Xi for a lavish dinner and equestrian display, drawing criticism from activists who believe the French president’s actions show complicity in the genocide of the Uyghur people.
Dilnur Reyhan, a French-Uyghur sociologist, penned a scathing column criticizing Macron for his indifference to the suffering of the Uyghur people and called his actions offensive to the French legislature’s recognition of the Uyghur persecution as genocide. The protest in Paris and the ongoing calls for accountability highlight the importance of addressing China’s human rights abuses on the international stage.
