PETE: AS PROTESTERS IN CHINA
FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOM, CHINESE
AMERICANS THAT WITNESSES
COMMUNIST PARTY’S BRUTAL
BRUTALITY FIRSTHAND ARE SPEAKING
OUT AND INCLUDES OUR NEXT GUEST
THAT PROTESTS AND SURVIVED THE
MASSACRE AS A COLLEGE STUDENT IN
1989.
ROSE TANG IS A SURVIVOR,
ACTIVIST AND ARTIST.
SHE JOINS US NOW.
ROSE, GREAT TO HAVE YOU.
YOU WERE 20 AND CLIMBED OVER A
TANK.
THANKFULLY WERE AVOIDED
DETECTION AT SOME OF THEM AND
DIDN’T COME AFTER YOU BUT A LOT
OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THAT
PROTEST.
>> YES.
PETE: YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
HEAVYWEIGHT OF AUTHORITARIAN
REGIME.
WHAT CHANCES TO THE PROTESTERS
HAVE IN CHINA RIGHT NOW?
>> DEPENDS AND SOME OF THEM HAVE
ALREADY BEEN ARRESTED AND
PROTESTERS NOW CALLING FOR THEIR
RELEASE.
WHAT I’M MOST WORRIED ABOUT IS
THAT UNLIKE A DRAMATIC MASSACRE
WITH THE TANKMEN, SOME OF THE
DETAINEES MAY BE DISAPPEARED AND
I USE THE PASSIVE TENSE, BE
DISAPPEARED AND IT’S A EUPHEMISM
IN CHINA NOW THAT SOMEBODY COULD
BE KALED -- KILLED, JAILED LIKE
THOUSANDS OF HONG KONG
PROTESTERS IN 2019 --
PETE: OR SCIENTISTS THAT TALKED
ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF COVID AND
WERE DISAPPEARED.
>> I WON’T GO INTO COVID.
PETE: WE DON’T HAVE TO BUT IT’S
ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE
THEY’RE HERE ONE DAY AND GONE
THE NEXT AND RAN AFOUL OF THE
REGIME.
>> YOU MEAN CHINESE SCIENTISTS?
PETE: YEAH, THE CHINESE
SCIENTISTS AND THE DOCTOR THAT
FIRST EXPOSED COVID, HE DIED OF
COVID.
PETE: SO THESE PROTESTER WHO IS
ARE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW ARE
DOING IT AT RISK OF THEIR VERY
LIFE?
>> YES, I KNOW IT VERY WELL.
WHAT’S MOST DARING ABOUT THEM
AND VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE
PROTESTERS FROM 33 YEARS AGO IS
THAT THIS PROTESTERS ARE VERY,
VERY BRAVE BECAUSE THEY’RE
CALLING OUT THE COMMUNIST PARTY,
THE REMOVAL OF THE COMMUNIST
PARTY, THE REGIME CHANGE AND
CALLING OUT XI JINPING TO STEP
DOWN.
THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED IN CHINESE
HISTORY, AND THE WORLD HISTORY
FOR THE LAST SEVEN DECADES, MORE
THAN SEVEN DECADES THAT ORDINARY
PEOPLE ON MASS SCALE CALLING OUT
THE RULER, THE HEAD OF THE
COMMUNIST PARTY TO STEP DOWN.
THEY DON’T WANT -- PARTICULARLY
IN A SLOGAN THEY CHANTED WE
DON’T WANT CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY.
GO AWAY.
PETE: WOW.
>> STEP DOWN.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEGINNING
OF A BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR
CHINA, NOT JUST CHINA BUT FOR
THE WORLD.
PETE: YOU SAY THE BEGINNING OF
THE BEGINNING.
DOES IT HAVE A CHANCE TO CATCH
ON AND GROW OR IS THIS THE TYPE
OF THING THAT XI JINPING AND
SECRET POLICE WILL SQUASH?
>> WELL THEY’LL TRY THEIR BEST
AND THEY’RE ALREADY TRYING THEIR
BEST TO SQUASH BUT EVEN
CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET AND
SOCIAL MEDIA, THEY’RE SCRAMBLING
AROUND AND THEY CANNOT CONTROL
IT.
THEY TRY THEIR VERY BEST AND
USING PEOPLE’S PHONES BECAUSE
THEY HAVE THIS QR CODE LIKE
ELECTRONIC, YOU KNOW, HANDCUFFS
TO REALLY LOCK PEOPLE DOWN LIKE
THE CODES LIKE SYFY MOVIES, RED,
YELLOW, GREEN, BUT THIS IS THE
TIME OF HISTORY THAT’S
UNSTOPPABLE.
THE CHINESE, I’VE BEEN SPEAKING
WITH, THEY’RE ALL SAYING THAT,
THEY’RE ALL INSPIRED, ESPECIALLY
THE CHINESE AMERICANS HERE, THE
YOUNG STUDENTS HERE WHO APPROACH
ME ASKING ME WHAT TO DO.
WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING.
THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN RALLIES
ALL AROUND THE WORLD, NOT JUST
IN THE UNITED STATES AND
TOMORROW IN WASHINGTON SCARE
PARK WE’LL BE ARRIVING AND
HAVING RALLIES ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY AND ALL OVER THE WORLD
AND THIS --
PETE: REAL QUICK.
TELL US WHY.
>> THIS IS NOW CALLED WHITE
PAPER REVOLUTION, A4 REVOLUTION
BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE HOLDING IT
JUST TO SHOW THE LACK OF
FREEDOM.
LACK OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
THIS IS INGENIOUS.
PETE: I’M HOLDING UP APP BLANK
PAGE BECAUSE I CAN’T WRITE
ANYTHING ON IT.
>> YES, EXACTLY.
PETE: THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE
30 YEARS AGO AND WHAT YOU’RE