Local Uygur community in Antwerp appeals for boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
Jan 04, 2022
Antwerp [Belgium], January 4 : Local Uygur community in Belgium's Antwerp city protested against Beijing's action against Uygurs in China's Xinjiang province and appealed to European countries to boycott the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.
Led by local leaders of the Uyghur community in Antwerp, the protestors raised slogans against China and demanded that all atrocities against the Uygur community be stopped by Chinese authorities.
Further, they appealed to all European countries to boycott Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in March 2022.
Beijing Winter Olympics is scheduled in February and the US and many other countries have started boycotting the event. The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics is yet to protest against the so-called "genocide" of Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang.
Ahead of the Beijing Olympics 2022, a Washington-based Uyghur rights activist has called on Europe to adhere to it's values and take action against China's rights abuses in Xinjiang province.
Last year the US become the first country in the world to declare the Chinese actions in Xinjiang as "genocide".
Both the Canadian and Dutch parliament adopted motions recognizing the Uyghur crisis as genocide in February last year.
Dutch became the first parliament in Europe to do so. In April last year, the United Kingdom also declared China's ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang a "genocide"
The protest by Uygur in Antwerp highlights China's ill-treatment of minorities such as Uyghur and Tibetans to the international community.