WASHINGTON—The arrival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the U.S.–China summit brought large crowds, and not all were there to welcome him.
Between Sept. 23 and Xi’s departure on Sept. 25, protesters staged hundreds-strong rallies, projected faces of political prisoners in China on buildings across D.C., and paraded in downtown streets to highlight the abuses in China.
These groups include Hongkongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, democracy activists, and practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong. Many have families or friends detained in China for their advocacy or beliefs.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful. But on two occasions, Epoch Times reporters witnessed the pro-Beijing camp getting into a melee with the other side.
On Sept. 24, some four or five pro-Beijing protesters surrounded a Falun Gong practitioner, Xin Qin, after one woman from their group allegedly pulled Xin down, Xin told The Epoch Times. They allegedly punched Xin and bit her, leading to multiple injuries to Xin’s hand, arm, and leg.
On Friday, as Xi arrived at the National Archives for a tour, masked Chinese regime supporters also tried to wrestle a flag from a pro-democracy protester’s hand. As he resisted, they hemmed him in and attempted to snatch the flag pole away until the police intervened. An Epoch Times staffer nearby was hit on the head during the scuffle.
Wang Xue, a Chinese activist, showed The Epoch Times his hand injury after a brawl with pro-Beijing supporters. In a video he shared with The Epoch Times, a man wearing a red badge emerged from a group holding Chinese flags, and threw a punch at Wang’s face. Wang used his hand to parry the blow.
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