A group of Chinese students at McMaster University learned that Rukiye Turdush, a vocal critic of the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighurs, was set to deliver a presentation about the mass internment of Muslims in China’s far northwest.
They were furious that a woman they considered a separatist would be given a platform to speak. So they rallied in a chat group and reached out to a familiar source of guidance: the Chinese government.
As Turdush gave her presentation that afternoon, a student in the audience filmed her, later shouting at her before storming out.
Students wrote in a WeChat group that they contacted the embassy about the event and were told to watch if university officials were present. They later wrote that they sent photos to Chinese officials.
In the following days, Chinese student groups published a “bulletin report” about Turdush’s talk. The bulletin, which was co-signed by five McMaster student groups, including the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), noted contact with the Chinese consulate in Toronto.
The incident at McMaster was pieced together using records of a group chat conducted in Chinese and translated by The Washington Post, interviews with three people in the chat room, video footage of the event, as well as the bulletin.
It offers a vivid example of how Chinese students have grown into a vocal and co-ordinated force on Western campuses, monitoring and pushing back against speech they deem critical of China. It is of particular note because it is unusual to find written evidence of apparent coordination with officials.
Though student organizing and heated debate are a common and important part of campus life, contact with the Chinese consulate may cross a line, experts said, and will no doubt renew questions about the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to influence foreign institutions, including universities.
