Many people are coming out in support of Newcastle University social anthropologist Jo Smith Finley who’s just been sanctioned by the Chinese regime for … doing her research, and for voicing her opinion, on the oppression of the Uyghurs in China.
“Chinese Sanctions on Newcastle academic ‘counter-productive,” BBC NEWS (March 26, 2021).
“China imposes sanctions on UK MPs, lawyers and academic in Xinjiang row.” The Guardian (March 26, 2021).
Her university officially tweeted their support for her, together with Universities UK, and the Russell Group, which represents 24 leading UK universities. ( … though they stopped short of outright condemning the Chinese government’s outrage).
Many are speaking up for Jo Smith Finley @j_smithfinley, for fellow anthropologist and noted Xinjiang expert Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz, and for Swedish China scholar Björn Jerdén, @bjornjerden, Director of the Swedish National China Centre, who’ve all been slammed with personalized sanctions …
Annabelle, Timsit, “Beijing’s European sanctions are also a bid to control who tells the China story.” Quartz (March 23, 2021).
We should all be jumping up and down to condemn China’s unprecedented revenge actions against brave individual scholars, as well as on research institutes like @Merics_EU
“Statement on the sanctions imposed by China that also affect MERICS.”
… The latest this morning is the news of 32 think tank/research institutes across Europe standing up in solidarity with Merics, and the scholars, “Statement by European Research Institute Directors.”
… and also against individual democratically elected representatives, in both the UK, in both houses, and the EU, in the European Parliament, including the brave MEP Green coalition leader Reinhard Bütikofer, and the brave French MEP Raphael Glucksmann @rglucks1 who’s also being personally smeared and harrassed by … China’s ambassador to France(!), while a Chinese talking-head back home is asking -“What do these Jews want with Xinjiang.”
Now for all the academics and think tanks and universities of Europe, the USA, and around the world!
Will they stand up and be counted?
(First they came for the minorities, then they came for my colleagues … ! )
Sincerely,
Magnus Fiskesjö <nf42@cornell.edu>