Two steps forward, four steps back.

The similarities between modern China,1800’s America and pre world war 2 Germany.

Media blackout

With the complete media whitewash of the current COVID-19 pandemic, those who follow mainstream media networks and newspapers will receive very little information about recent human rights issues. This article is not a conspiracy about the media pulling the wool over our eyes however, as even if there was not a current media whitewash, it is unlikely you have heard about the mass race discrimination across china.

Concentration Camps

Over the last few years, many articles have popped up in the media about alleged concentration camps and severe race discrimination. The term concentration camp sprung up in the mid 1940’s when the Jewish people were tortured by the Nazi’s in work and death camps. This was not where they originated, however the idea originated in the late 1800’s in the Boer war by the British to punish the south African and Dutch prisoners of war. These camps are notorious for their sheer volume of human rights violations and the low value given to life. 

Drawing a comparison between modern China and 1800’s America

The Chinese have been very tight on any information about these camps. They call them political education camps. In mid 2016 they were being used to re-educate Muslims to renounce their religion and become “model Chinese citizens”, these camps are now also being used to take people of African origin people to be used as forced workers and are being forced off the streets to pay for their crimes. These crimes, however, are simply the Chinese governments fear of the Africans bringing drugs and crime into China. These fears however seem to simply be an excuse to lock up Africans and discriminate against them with the support of the Chinese government.

This fear-mongering draws a striking resemblance to the propaganda produced in the 1800’s in America against African Americans, causing segregation and abuse to people of African origin people. Even large corporations are now discriminating. In a McDonald's in Guangzhou, a sign on the door read “we’ve been informed from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant. For the sake of your health consciously notify the local police for medical isolation. Please understand the inconvenience caused.” this was posted after 5 Nigerians contracted the virus. This is quite ironic as this was just 0.7% of the African population whilst 1.2 % of the native Chinese population in the area had contracted the virus. This fear spread through the population and Africans were forced to stay at home, long before the rest of the lock down. Many Africans were also apprehended and taken into forced isolation. One black student explained how just days after paying his rent and university fees his landlord told him he had to leave immediately. He and his roommates scrambled to pack his belongings, but the police were waiting for him outside. They forced him into self-isolation but even when he was tested negative for the virus he was still forced to isolate, explaining “black people are more vulnerable to the virus”.

These fear mongering tactics were also used in the 1800s America when the government sparked propaganda that all people of African origin people have aids and pass it on to all those, they have sexual relations with. This presents clearly the dark reality of the similarities between modern China and peak racist America. 

Discrimination and COVID-19

I didn’t want to write another story about the corona-virus story because, as I mentioned before, there is a complete media whitewash at the moment. However, this virus is opening the incredibly tight lid that the Chinese government normally keeps on all in-state matters. In times of a crisis people normally pin the blame onto a minority and discriminate against them, blaming them for all of their problems. In the fall of the Russian empire, it was the Jews, in the German economic crisis it was the Jews and during the French revolution it was also Jews. In this case, the corona virus has rallied the Chinese into the beginnings of a racism crisis. In other cases, like in Nazi Germany’s slaughter of the Jewish people, it started with segregation before people found the Jews dangerous and began to abuse them in the streets and raid their places of worship. This tactic to turn the nation against a specific race is being used again in the streets of Guangzhou and other areas with high density of African people.

Segregation

Many times, in history, segregation has been used to oppress a race, giving them lesser health, education, living quality and job opportunities. These disadvantages are then used to pry the human rights from these people. For example, in 1800’s America, there was mass segregation and people of African origins and other ethnicities never mixed. Separate public toilets, separate barbers, separate restaurants, separate busses, separate hospitals. In all cases the public services were far worse in the people of African origin communities. During this period of segregation, some senators drew up a bill to enforce mandatory poll tests and poll taxes when voting. Due to the poor education in the people of African origin areas this prevented millions of people of African origin people from voting for their representatives. You can see this kind of segregation beginning to occur in some areas of China, specifically Guangzhou where a part of the town, nicknamed “little Africa,” is designated for people of African origin to buy houses, work, consume entertainment and live their social lives. Although this is not enforced by law it feels like something is brewing towards that. The socially enforced segregation is so bad that considering the huge African originating population in Guangzhou only 1 in 15 of those not in “little Africa,” are of African origin.

Fear

Fear is brewing in many parts of China. Only a few weeks ago, a team representing people of African origin sent a letter of complaint to Beijing about the stigmatisation and discrimination against people of African origin. The problem is; is this going to be enough to convince the Chinese leadership to implement hard-line anti-discrimination laws, or even worse; does the hatred stem from the Chinese leadership!

Conclusion

This conclusion is rather a sombre one. I fear that action will not be taken against these acts of pure hatred and racism. This problem could grow and expand to a national and possibly global disaster. Last time a people were discriminated against on a mass scale, many countries took years to react and this caused the death of 6 million Jews. Will world leaders stop segregation and discrimination in its tracks, before it can grow? Or will they turn a blind eye like so many times before, and let innocent people be slaughtered to protect themselves?

Please Understand The Inconvenience