Increasing sabotage targeting Chinese Epoch Times in UK

May 25, 2024 TruthUSA

Staff have reported a significant increase in theft and damage to newspapers, expressing concerns about the control exerted by the CCP over overseas Chinese individuals.

In the UK, staff members have noticed a rise in sabotage against The Epoch Times, one of the few Chinese language newspapers not under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

This surge comes after Amnesty International published a report highlighting how Chinese and Hong Kong students in various countries, including Britain, are self-censoring due to fear of reprisals from the Chinese regime.

Over the past twenty years, The Epoch Times Chinese edition has faced continuous sabotage, including theft of newspapers, arson, and vandalism of paper dispensers. Some perpetrators have been arrested, and in Canada, a woman was ordered by a court to pay compensation for stealing papers.

Instances of violent attacks on employees and destruction of printing presses have also been reported in Hong Kong and the United States.

Ms. Guihua Li, director of Epoch Media UK, has noted that the problem of paper theft has worsened over the past year, with similar reports emerging from other countries. This suggests a coordinated effort by the CCP.

Theft, Arson, and Vandals

Staff members in London, Cambridge, Liverpool, and Glasgow have observed newspapers disappearing at an alarming rate.

Emily Li, an office manager at The Epoch Times in London, suspects that CCP agents and shop owners influenced by the party’s smear campaign are among those responsible for stealing newspapers.

Related Stories

French CCP Police Station Attempts to Repatriate Dissident

China Researcher Warns Confucius Institute Hiring Process Poses ‘Fundamental Systematic Risk’ to UK Universities

A reader in the UK expressed frustration with not being able to find any copies of The Epoch Times at stands, mentioning concerns about supermarkets using the papers as wrapping or tissue.

Emily Li recounted an incident in which 700 copies of The Epoch Times disappeared in a single day from Chinatown in London, a quantity that should have lasted several days.

In Liverpool, other newspapers have also been stolen, while in Glasgow, The Epoch Times is the primary target, according to staff.

Near the University of Cambridge, mobile paper holders have been repeatedly vandalised or set on fire, as reported by Chen Ping, a distributor in Cambridge.

In addition to theft and arson, vandals have taken to spray painting over signs on the paper boxes, including using expletives and slogans like “Long live China,” according to Mr. Chen.

Caught Red-handed

In the United States, newspapers from two supermarkets near Seattle were stolen multiple times over a weekend in February 2023. Staff witnessed and filmed individuals of various ethnic backgrounds taking piles of papers, none of whom spoke Chinese.

In Toronto, Canada, a man was reported to the police in August 2023 for repeatedly taking copies of The Epoch Times and the Vision Times, another publication critical of the CCP.

According to the Vision Times, a local reader claimed that the man was paid by the Chinese consulate for each copy he took.

Violence against The Epoch Times employees by unidentified groups has also been reported, including incidents in 2006 and 2021 in the United States and Hong Kong.

The increase in newspaper theft coincides with warnings issued to Western governments and universities about CCP activities, such as monitoring and repatriation of Chinese expatriates and dissidents.

Amnesty International recently published a report detailing the CCP’s efforts to intimidate Chinese and Hong Kong students studying overseas.

Source link