Uyghurs: ethnic cleansing and concentration camps, what can I do?
August 6, 2018 6:29 AM Subscribe
What steps can individuals outside of China take to put an end to the ethnic cleansing and concentration camps in Xinjiang?
Do you want to make a difference, or feel good about yourself (in the "I did not do nothing" sense)?
If the former, then probably nothing. This is China we're talking about, after all. Typical pressure tactics are pointless (they don't care what you think), typical civil society tactics are pointless (the Party does what is best for the Party), and so on. You have no leverage. None. Again, none. If you're a Westerner you may not be familiar with the idea that nothing you say or do will make any difference at all but in this case it's basically true.
Perhaps the most effective thing you could do would be to agitate for a total cessation of trade with China. Good luck.
Failing that, donate to Uighur charities to help those who have managed to escape, but in the strict sense that does nothing to stop the oppression, it simply helps those who have escaped the oppression.
If the latter, then Amnesty is your best bet as they are more effective than most, keeping in mind that they're utterly ineffective here but at least your help will be felt elsewhere in the world and those people need help too.
posted by aramaic at 9:54 PM on August 13, 2018
If the former, then probably nothing. This is China we're talking about, after all. Typical pressure tactics are pointless (they don't care what you think), typical civil society tactics are pointless (the Party does what is best for the Party), and so on. You have no leverage. None. Again, none. If you're a Westerner you may not be familiar with the idea that nothing you say or do will make any difference at all but in this case it's basically true.
Perhaps the most effective thing you could do would be to agitate for a total cessation of trade with China. Good luck.
Failing that, donate to Uighur charities to help those who have managed to escape, but in the strict sense that does nothing to stop the oppression, it simply helps those who have escaped the oppression.
If the latter, then Amnesty is your best bet as they are more effective than most, keeping in mind that they're utterly ineffective here but at least your help will be felt elsewhere in the world and those people need help too.
posted by aramaic at 9:54 PM on August 13, 2018
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posted by vincebowdren at 8:19 AM on August 7, 2018