Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden (left); World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab and President Xi (right). (Getty Photos). Young woman protests in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province on November 27, 2022. The blank page signifies a protest against censorship. (Source: Twitter.com/whyyoutouzhele)

Women and girls in China and Hong Kong are risking their lives for freedom. Citizen journalism has eclipsed mainstream news reporting, with even The New York Times citing tweeted videos.

In one video a young woman marches stoically through a public alleyway holding up a blank piece of paper. She is wearing chains around her arms.

In another, a young woman refuses to move while filming police with her smart phone. She is assaulted by the police who hand her to a group of people wearing white protective gear, presumably to protect themselves and others from covid.

And in another, men shoo cameras away from a woman holding a blank piece of paper in protest.

李老师不是你老师 @whyyoutouzhele

今天白天浙江乌镇

Jixian Wang @hellojixian

这段视频看的我都不知道该说什么了…… 那姑娘手里拿着手机原地不动，也没说话，就被群殴了……😡🤬 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳

The government is using covid as justification for sweeping repression. Another video shows Chinese police beating a BBC journalist. In a statement, BBC protested the reporter’s assualt and criticizes the government’s claim that the police who were beating the reporter were simply trying to protect him from covid.

Instead of saying anything about them the Secretary-General of the United Nations warned of the impact on women and girls from… climate change. “Violence against women and girls is exacerbated by the intersecting crises of climate, conflict and economic instability,” tweeted Antonio Guterres. “We need #ClimateAction, and a more peaceful & equitable world to ensure the well-being of women & girls everywhere.”

António Guterres @antonioguterres

Violence against women and girls is exacerbated by the intersecting crises of climate, conflict & economic instability. We need #ClimateAction, and a more peaceful & equitable world to ensure the well-being of women & girls everywhere.

President Joe Biden has been shamefully quiet, tweeting about small businesses and the economy but saying nothing about the protests in China, with the White House issuing a perfunctory statement affirming the right of people to protest.

Others, like World Economic Forum’s founder, praised China just a few days ago on state television. “China is a model for many nations,” said Klaus Schwab on November 19, 2022. Schwab was seen participating actively in the G-20 meeting in Indonesia two weeks ago.

Defenders of Biden, the UN, and other global elites will say that it can speak on many issues at once. The Secretary-General of the UN and Biden are unlikely to write their own tweets. They may not even see them. And there is still plenty of time for them to speak up.

But world leaders have had plenty of time to speak up and haven’t. They are perfectly capable of ordering their staffs to retweet the videos of young women risking their lives.

Some China experts took to Twitter to explain that the world should not get its hopes up for freedom and democracy in China. Such defensive pessimism is understandable but should not be used as an excuse for Western leaders to remain silent. What, then, explains the passivity of Western leaders?

Why Biden & Global Elites Are Shamefully…

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