• 03 Oct, 2025
 
• Admin
 

Global Resistance on China’s 76th National Day: Protests, Locations, and Digital Defiance

China marked its 76th National Day on October 1, 2025, commemorating the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, the official celebrations in Beijing—complete with flag-raising ceremonies at Tiananmen Square and the release of 10,000 doves of peace—stood in stark contrast to a wave of global dissent. What Beijing’s state media portrayed as a unified display of patriotism was overshadowed by coordinated protests worldwide, organized by exiled activists, human rights groups, and diaspora communities. These actions highlighted ongoing grievances over repression in regions like Tibet, Xinjiang (East Turkestan), Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as broader criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarianism, economic policies, and territorial aggressions.

Far from the parades and fireworks, demonstrators reframed October 1 as “Resist the CCP Day” or “China National Falls Day,” a day to mourn “national tragedy” rather than celebrate. Drawing from historical echoes like the 2022 Sitong Bridge protest and the White Paper Movement, this year’s actions blended street demonstrations with sophisticated digital campaigns. Below, we detail the key protests by location, their impacts, and the surging online hashtags and movements amplifying the message.

Key Protests: Locations and Impacts Protests erupted in at least a dozen cities across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, often targeting Chinese embassies and consulates. Organized by coalitions including the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Students for a Free Tibet, the Tibetan Youth Congress, Campaign for Uyghurs, and Hong Kong democracy groups, these events drew hundreds to thousands of participants.

They emphasized non-violent resistance, with chants like “Hong Kong is not China!” and “Communist Party step down!” Domestically in China, dissent was muted due to heavy surveillance and censorship, but isolated incidents underscored simmering unrest.

 

Location	Organizers/Key Participants	Description	Impact
London, UK	Free Tibet, Uyghur groups, Hong Kong activists, Taiwanese supporters	Hundreds marched from Trafalgar Square to the Chinese Embassy, tearing up Chinese flags and protesting the proposed “mega-embassy.” Banners demanded an end to Uyghur atrocities and Tibetan repression. A parallel rally at the Royal Mint opposed the embassy expansion.	Drew media coverage from BBC and The Guardian; highlighted UK-China tensions over the embassy site, prompting parliamentary debates on national security. No arrests, but amplified calls for sanctions on CCP officials.
Berlin, Germany	World Uyghur Congress, Tibet Initiative, Freiheit für Hongkong, Tibetan Association in Germany	Joint rally outside the Chinese Embassy with speeches on genocide in Xinjiang and Tibet. Protesters waved flags of occupied regions and chanted against CCP rule.	Boosted European solidarity; featured in Deutsche Welle reports, influencing EU discussions on Uyghur forced labor bans. Strengthened cross-diaspora networks for future actions.
Vienna, Austria	Tibetan groups, Chinese dissidents	Tibetans and Chinese exiles protested at the Chinese Embassy, urging respect for religious freedom in Tibet. Joint statements condemned CCP policies.	Rare collaboration between Tibetan and Chinese protesters; covered by Austrian media, raising awareness of intra-community divides. Contributed to a petition with 5,000 signatures against CCP influence in Europe.
Taipei, Taiwan	Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur human rights groups; Taiwanese lawmakers	Activists and politicians gathered to protest CCP oppression, with press events exposing camps, prisons, and censorship. Banners read “Resist Oppression: Reject Authoritarianism.”	Heightened Taiwan’s defiance amid Xi Jinping’s National Day speech warning against “Taiwan independence.” Sparked diplomatic backlash, with Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemning Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea.
San Francisco, USA	Various Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong, and Mongolian groups	Rally at the Chinese Consulate decried “disastrous” occupation policies in occupied territories. Protesters highlighted “erasure of identities” in Xinjiang and Tibet.	Aligned with U.S. State Department statements on human rights; local coverage in San Francisco Chronicle pressured U.S. lawmakers to renew Uyghur sanctions.
Sydney, Australia	Falun Gong practitioners, Chinese dissidents, Tibetan supporters	“National Mourning Day” rally shouted “Down with the CCP!” and mourned victims of repression.	Part of a broader “End CCP” campaign; media pickup by Epoch Times amplified anti-CCP narratives among Chinese-Australians, influencing voter sentiment ahead of elections.
Amsterdam, Netherlands	Chinese exile groups, human rights advocates	Gathering chanted “Overthrow the CCP,” focusing on digital surveillance and labor abuses.	Covered in Dutch outlets; bolstered EU-wide calls for tech export bans to China, citing protest suppression tools.
Paris, France (and other EU cities)	Tibetan Youth Congress, Campaign for Uyghurs	Global Day of Action targeted embassies, demanding an end to Uyghur and Tibetan atrocities. Smaller vigils in Brussels and Madrid joined.	Echoed 2019 Hong Kong protests; pressured French President Macron during EU-China talks, leading to stronger language on human rights in joint statements.

 

In China itself, no large-scale public protests were reported due to Xi Jinping’s tightened security apparatus—revised State Secrets Law and a new national digital ID system in July 2025. However, economic discontent fueled isolated actions: In Liuyang, Hunan, a drone fireworks display malfunctioned on October 2, sparking a fire that symbolized “falling CCP glory” in dissident circles (though officially downplayed as an accident).

Labor strikes in provinces like Guangdong and Sichuan, ongoing since U.S. tariffs exacerbated layoffs, indirectly timed with National Day, with over 1,200 recorded in early 2025.

A viral video from Chongqing (echoing the August 2025 projector protest) showed hidden-camera footage critiquing surveillance, viewed millions of times abroad before domestic scrubbing.

Broader ImpactsThese protests had tangible ripple effects:

• Diplomatic Pressure: Xi’s National Day address vowing “true multilateralism” while warning against “external interference” in Taiwan drew immediate rebukes from the U.S., EU, and Philippines. China’s flag-raising at Scarborough Shoal in Philippine waters on October 1 escalated South China Sea tensions, prompting Japan and Australia to lodge formal protests.
• Media and Awareness: Coverage in outlets like Radio Free Asia and Human Rights Watch amplified stories of imprisoned activists (e.g., Xu Zhiyong’s October hunger strike).

Protests disrupted CCP narratives, with global viewership of dissident videos exceeding 10 million on platforms like X.

 

• Economic and Social Echoes: In Hong Kong, subdued official events under the 2020 National Security Law masked underlying resentment; a court ruling banning the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” in May 2025 fueled boycott calls.

Labor unrest, up 66% year-on-year, signaled deepening economic malaise.

 

• Transnational Repression Backlash: Reports of Beijing’s harassment of overseas protesters (e.g., detentions during Xi’s visits) drew condemnation from Amnesty International, strengthening diaspora coalitions.

Digital Protests: Hashtags and Campaigns Lighting Up the WebWhile physical protests faced barriers in China, digital activism exploded on X (formerly Twitter), Weibo (heavily censored), and YouTube. Diaspora communities bypassed the Great Firewall using VPNs and tools like AirDrop, echoing the 2022 White Paper Movement’s coded language (e.g., “A4” for blank protest sheets).

Beijing countered with bot networks flooding hashtags with spam, but global platforms like X saw unfiltered surges.

#ResistTheCCP / #ResistCCPDay: Coined by Free Tibet and WUC, this trended globally with 500,000+ uses on October 1. Posts mourned “76 years of bloodshed” and shared videos of vigils. Impact: Amplified unity across Uyghur, Tibetan, and Hong Kong accounts; inspired offline rallies in London and Berlin.

 

• #ChinaNationalFallsDay: A satirical jab from Uyghur activists, framing National Day as a “prophecy of collapse.” Viral threads detailed regime crimes, from Xinjiang camps to Tibetan boarding schools. Impact: Over 200,000 engagements; pressured streaming platforms to keep protest songs like “Glory to Hong Kong” accessible abroad.
• #EndCCP / #ShareTheTruth: Falun Gong-led campaign urged “awakening Chinese” to spurn the CCP. Featured in Epoch Times reports from Sydney and Amsterdam rallies. Impact: Mobilized 100,000+ shares; countered CCP bots hijacking city hashtags (e.g., #Beijing, #Shanghai) with porn and ads.
• #FreeTibet #FreeUyghurs #FreeHongKong #FreeTaiwan #FreeSouthernMongolia: Interlinked tags from Bodpa Warriors and TaiwanPlus News emphasized cross-region solidarity. Videos of Taipei press events garnered 1 million views. Impact: Boosted petitions (e.g., 5,000 signatures in Austria); influenced U.S. congressional hearings on October 2.
• #CCPRiseHumanRightsDies #StopCCPStopGenocide #ChineseHegemony #DayOfSuppression: Emerging from Taiwanese and Mongolian activists, these critiqued erasure of identities. Impact: Sparked boycotts of Chinese goods; trended in Taiwan, drawing 300,000 uses and diplomatic notes from allies.

Digital tools like Weibo retweets spread protest info across cities, increasing event scope by 200% per studies on prior movements.

Despite censorship—e.g., scrubbing “Jiangyou protests” hashtags in August 2025—VPNs and X ensured messages reached 50 million users.

A Day of Defiance, Not CelebrationChina’s National Day 2025 exposed the CCP’s dual reality: grand spectacles masking profound discontent. From Vienna’s joint cries for religious freedom to Taipei’s unyielding stand against hegemony, these protests and digital waves signal a resilient global resistance. As one Berlin demonstrator posted, “Xi drapes himself in red flags, but truth topples emperors.”

With economic woes and international scrutiny mounting, October 1 may prove a turning point—not of unity, but of awakening. The world watched, and the echoes continue.