{"id":10056,"date":"2015-04-13T21:00:28","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinaworker.info\/?p=10056"},"modified":"2015-04-17T17:53:08","modified_gmt":"2015-04-17T09:53:08","slug":"chinas-feminists-a-victory-for-protests-in-china-and-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s feminists – A victory for protests in China and worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five women activists released in rare climb down by Beijing regime<\/strong><\/p>\n

chinaworker.info reporters<\/p>\n

The five feminists whose detention over a month ago sparked a global protest campaign were released on Monday 13 April. The women\u2019s release represents a significant and rare climb down by the Chinese authorities in the face of mounting global protests. The Washington Post described the release as a \u201csurprise move\u201d and many had indeed feared the worst for these young activists as they were ensnared in the crackdown against protest and expression that has become the hallmark of Xi Jinping\u2019s rule. \u201cIn some ways this retreat is the first significant crack in the wall as far as Xi Jinping\u2019s massive campaign of state repression is concerned,\u201d said Vincent Kolo, editor of chinaworker.info.<\/p>\n

The women \u2013 Wang Man, Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong, Wei Tingting and Li Tingting \u2013 now known as the \u2018Feminist Five\u2019 were arrested in the run up to International Women\u2019s Day, 8 March, for planning to hand out leaflets against sexual harassment. They were initially charged with the vague crime of \u201cpicking quarrels and provoking trouble\u201d which can lead to five years imprisonment. On 11 April, the authorities changed the charge to \u201cillegal assembly\u201d, an indication they were under pressure to cook up a more convincing case against the five.<\/p>\n

The plight of the five women has been taken up by students and school students around China who have circulated petitions but faced stiff repression and threats from school authorities. Campaign groups for women\u2019s rights and LGBT equality have rallied internationally with protests in many countries. In Hong Kong there have been several protests including an action involving Defend China Feminists Campaign, Socialist Action (CWI) and other groups on 11 April as the deadline for the authorities to press ahead with formal charges approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnprecedented pressure\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many have commented on the significance of the Chinese regime\u2019s apparent climb down. Amnesty International described the women\u2019s release as \u201can encouraging breakthrough.\u201d Others such as Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch said, \u201cThe release is the result of unprecedented international pressure.\u201d Lawyers acting for the five women expressed a similar view. Commending the protests but also the mood of outrage inside China, Leta Hong Fincher, author of \u201cLeftover Women\u201d, tweeted: \u201cThe pressure from Chinese citizens \u2013 women and men \u2013 was also extremely important.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time there is anxiety that the charges against the five have not been dropped. They are released on bail pending further investigation \u2013 with the risk they could be arrested again especially if the mood of solidarity dissipates. The Chinese regime is known for using a \u2018carrot and stick\u2019 tactic to derail protests including workers\u2019 strikes. It makes promises that are later withdrawn or found to be worthless. The five women will be closely monitored and have been served with travel bans.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir release is not a victory \u2013 they are still on bail and still are suspects,\u201d lawyer Liang Xiaojun who represents Wu told the Guardian newspaper. \u201cThough released, the feminists\u2019 activities are still being restricted and they are yet to gain their complete freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

The detention of the five women threw a global spotlight on repression in China, something that foreign governments have generally played down in their eagerness to do business with the Chinese dictatorship. The mood of outrage has come from below \u2013 from activists, youth, and the labour movement \u2013 with some prominent politicians jumping on board this mood rather than initiating it.<\/p>\n

Protest in Warsaw, Poland, outside Chinese Embassy, 9 April
\nThe fact that leading representatives of the US capitalism spoke up for the five, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who called their detention \u201cinexcusable\u201d, is a measure of how much anger the case has generated. During her first visit to China as Secretary of State in 2009, Clinton made headlines for her low-key approach to human rights which disappointed NGOs and rights activists. The regime-controlled Global Times, however, praised Clinton\u2019s visit: \u201cThis type of realistic attitude could be followed by other Western leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese regime\u2019s standard response that foreign governments should keep out of China\u2019s internal affairs is more difficult to sell to domestic audiences when the criticism comes from the grassroots. Criticism from the US government, with its poor record on democratic rights (Edward Snowden, police shootings of Afro-Americans), is much easier to discredit.<\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/media.chinaworker.info\/2015\/04\/china-feminists_3264569b-e1428963952420.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Xi\u2019s trip to America<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many are now pondering what lies behind the regime\u2019s decision to release the five. This issue threatened to blow up in its face with Xi Jinping\u2019s planned visit to the US in September. Xi is due to address a UN conference on women in New York, an occasion that threatened to attract protests that would be extremely politically damaging for a regime that wants to project its increasing global strength while also selling the idea that it is based on \u2018rule of law\u2019.<\/p>\n

But another factor and perhaps the most important is the effect this case has had inside China in politicising young women in particular. That the feminists who have been treated so harshly were \u2018moderate\u2019 critics, some of whom have been involved in helping the authorities to draft new legislation on sexual abuse, has produced a shock effect on social media in China. \u201cThis generation grew up in the last 20 and 30 years, most of them not keen on politics. But they are being politicised by this event,\u201d Wang Zheng, a US-based professor, told liberal website ChinaChange.org.<\/p>\n

chinaworker.info congratulates the five women on their release and hails the protesters around the world who have rallied to their support during the past five weeks. The partial victory recorded today with the release of the five feminists can have important ramifications for future struggles in China against dictatorship, women\u2019s oppression and capitalism, which has thrown women\u2019s rights backwards. This is not a purely Chinese affair but an important part of a global struggle, relying on solidarity and internationalism, to overthrow the patriarchal and undemocratic capitalist system.<\/p>\n

More related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Demand release of arrested Chinese women activists<\/a><\/p>\n

China: Capitalism is pushing back women\u2019s rights<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five women activists released in rare climb down by Beijing regime chinaworker.info reporters The five feminists whose detention over a month ago sparked a global protest campaign were released on Monday 13 April. The women\u2019s release represents a significant and rare climb down by the Chinese authorities in the face of mounting global protests. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":9886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[132,124],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10056","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-china","8":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\nChina\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"China\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Five women activists released in rare climb down by Beijing regime chinaworker.info reporters The five feminists whose detention over a month ago sparked a global protest campaign were released on Monday 13 April. The women\u2019s release represents a significant and rare climb down by the Chinese authorities in the face of mounting global protests. The […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"China Worker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SocialistAction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"213\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"China\u2019s feminists – A victory for protests in China and worldwide\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1027,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"China\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/\",\"name\":\"China\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg\",\"width\":550,\"height\":213},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/10056\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u9996\u9801\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"China\u2019s feminists – A victory for protests in China and worldwide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u793e\u6703\u4e3b\u7fa9\u884c\u52d5\",\"description\":\"Solidarity, Struggle, Socialism\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Chinaworker.info\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/logo-sa.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media1.chinaworker.info\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/logo-sa.png\",\"width\":120,\"height\":126,\"caption\":\"Chinaworker.info\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SocialistAction\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/socialistactionhk\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/chinaworker.info\\\/en\\\/author\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"China\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"China\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker","og_description":"Five women activists released in rare climb down by Beijing regime chinaworker.info reporters The five feminists whose detention over a month ago sparked a global protest campaign were released on Monday 13 April. The women\u2019s release represents a significant and rare climb down by the Chinese authorities in the face of mounting global protests. The […]","og_url":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/","og_site_name":"China Worker","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SocialistAction","article_published_time":"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":550,"height":213,"url":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"China\u2019s feminists – A victory for protests in China and worldwide","datePublished":"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00","dateModified":"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/"},"wordCount":1027,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg","articleSection":["China","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/","url":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/","name":"China\u2019s feminists - A victory for protests in China and worldwide - China Worker","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg","datePublished":"2015-04-13T13:00:28+00:00","dateModified":"2015-04-17T09:53:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2015\/03\/o-CHINA-WOMEN-570-e1426888754739.jpg","width":550,"height":213},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/2015\/04\/13\/10056\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u9996\u9801","item":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"China\u2019s feminists – A victory for protests in China and worldwide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/","name":"\u793e\u6703\u4e3b\u7fa9\u884c\u52d5","description":"Solidarity, Struggle, Socialism","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#organization","name":"Chinaworker.info","url":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2021\/04\/logo-sa.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media1.chinaworker.info\/2021\/04\/logo-sa.png","width":120,"height":126,"caption":"Chinaworker.info"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SocialistAction","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/socialistactionhk\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinaworker.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}