Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington on September 24, 2026, was met with protests by several communities. After demonstrations at different locations across the city, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese participants and Chinese pro-democracy activists gathered at Franklin Park in the evening. Several hundred people attended the rally near the White House.
The groups brought different demands but shared a call to keep human rights on the agenda during Xi’s visit. Uyghur protesters drew attention to repression in East Turkistan, while Tibetan and Hong Kong participants protested policies affecting their communities. Taiwanese participants stressed that decisions about Taiwan’s future belong to its people.
According to Radio Free Asia, Uyghur activists including Rebiya Kadeer, Elfidar Iltebir, Rushan Abbas and Omer Kanat spoke at the joint rally. A photograph taken outside the White House that day showed a banner reading “China get out of East Turkistan.”
The protest continued during the state dinner held in Xi’s honor at the White House.
The Associated Press reported that demonstrators’ chants reached the White House’s North Portico. The joint rally brought different communities together to voice their demands on the same day and at the same gathering place.
