攝影記者：關永傑
2026年7月1日，中國正式實施《中華人民共和國民族團結進步促進法》。當天，北加州藏人協會（TANC）、舊金山區域西藏青年會（SFRTYC）、灣區西藏之友（BAFoT）以及自由西藏學生運動灣區支部（SFT Bay Area）聯合發起抗議活動，華語青年挺藏會、中國民主黨、中國民主人權聯盟、法輪功學員等多個團體參與，在中國駐舊金山總領館前舉行集會。
該活動的主旨是為了抗議中國於7月1日正式實施的新法律，多個參與團體表示，該法律將威脅少數民族的語言與文化、宗教自由、家庭聯繫，並在海外華人及藏人社群中造成“跨國鎮壓”和恐嚇風險。
該法的法律條文規定要“構築共有精神家園”，在全國範圍內深化推廣“國家通用語言文字”（即普通話和規範漢字）。外界普遍擔憂該條款將進一步加速西藏、新疆及內蒙古地區的強迫漢化政策，特別是通過國家寄宿學校體制，限制少數民族語言教育，導致本民族語言事實上在公共和教學領域消亡。
該法第六十三條明文指出，將依法追究“境外組織和個人”破壞民族團結進步、製造民族分裂的行為。該條款具備明顯的域外管轄權（長臂管轄）特徵。主辦方認為，這就意味著即使不是中國公民，或者身處中國境外（如在美國、台灣、歐洲），只要公開發表批判中國民族政策、支持西藏獨立/自治、或挺台/挺港言論，在法理上都會被中共認定為“觸犯該法”。
主辦方指出，該法是威權主義利用法律工具對主權國家境內的公民進行“跨國鎮壓”和跨境噤聲的手段，自此，海外流亡社群、外國學者及港台人士將面臨最大的法理威脅。該法的實施，各國政府都應該高度重視。
集會期間，來自藏人、香港人、中國民主運動團體及其他人權組織的代表先後以藏語、英語、漢語等發表講話，呼籲國際社會持續關注西藏、新疆、香港等地的人權狀況。現場民眾不斷高呼口號，表達對新法實施的反對。當天集會持續兩個多小時，現場除了演講外，還有藏語誦讀、集體呼喊口號及抗議橫幅展示，不時有途經車輛鳴笛回應。
7月1日，同時也是中國共產黨建黨105週年，香港“回歸”中國29週年，據主辦方介紹，在這一天，全球各地（包括舊金山、紐約、悉尼、倫敦等地）的藏人、維吾爾人、南蒙古人、香港人、海外反共反獨裁團體及其他人權組織也相繼在當地的中國使領館前發起大規模抗議。
中國駐舊金山總領館的抗議集會現場掠影：（攝影：關永傑）
編輯：鍾然
校對：王濱
翻譯：戈冰
Multiple Groups in Northern California Protest Outside Chinese Consulate Against the Implementation of the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress”
Photojournalist: Guan Yongjie
Abstract: China implemented the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” on July 1. Multiple Tibetan and human rights groups in Northern California protested outside the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, criticizing the new law for endangering the rights of ethnic minorities and expanding transnational repression.
On July 1, 2026, China officially implemented the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress.” On that day, the Tibetan Association of Northern California (TANC), San Francisco Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (SFRTYC), Bay Area Friends of Tibet (BAFoT), and the Students for a Free Tibet Bay Area Chapter (SFT Bay Area) jointly initiated a protest. Multiple groups, including the Han Youth for Tibet, the China Democratic Party, the Chinese Democracy and Human Rights Alliance, and Falun Gong practitioners, participated in the rally held in front of the Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco.
The primary purpose of the activity was to protest the new law officially implemented by China on July 1. Multiple participating groups stated that the law threatens the language, culture, religious freedom, and family ties of ethnic minorities, while creating risks of “transnational repression” and intimidation within overseas Chinese and Tibetan communities.
The legal provisions of the law mandate the “construction of a shared spiritual home” and the deepened promotion of the “standard national spoken and written language” (namely, Mandarin and standardized Chinese characters) nationwide. External observers generally worry that these clauses will further accelerate forced assimilation policies in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia—particularly through the state-run boarding school system—restricting ethnic minority language education and leading to the de facto eradication of indigenous languages in public and educational spheres.
Article 63 of the law explicitly states that legal liability will be pursued in accordance with the law against “overseas organizations and individuals” who undermine ethnic unity and progress or incite ethnic secession. This clause possesses clear characteristics of extraterritorial jurisdiction (long-arm jurisdiction). The organizers believe this means that even for non-Chinese citizens or those residing outside of China (such as in the United States, Taiwan, or Europe), as long as they publicly voice criticisms of China’s ethnic policies, support Tibetan independence/autonomy, or speak out in support of Taiwan/Hong Kong, they will legally be deemed by the Chinese Communist Party as “violating this law.”
The organizers pointed out that this law is a means by which authoritarianism utilizes legal instruments to conduct “transnational repression” and cross-border silencing against citizens within sovereign states. From this point forward, overseas exile communities, foreign scholars, and individuals from Hong Kong and Taiwan will face the greatest legal threat. The implementation of this law should be highly regarded by governments of all countries.
During the rally, representatives from Tibetan, Hong Kong, Chinese democracy movement, and other human rights organizations delivered speeches in Tibetan, English, and Chinese languages successively, calling on the international community to maintain its attention on the human rights situations in places such as Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. The crowd at the scene continuously shouted slogans to express their opposition to the implementation of the new law. The rally that day lasted for more than two hours. In addition to the speeches, the scene included Tibetan recitations, collective slogan chanting, and the display of protest banners, with passing vehicles occasionally honking their horns in response.
July 1 also marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party and the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s “handover” to China. According to the organizers, on this day, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, Hong Kongers, overseas anti-communist and anti-dictatorship groups, and other human rights organizations in various parts of the world (including San Francisco, New York, Sydney, and London) also launched large-scale protests in front of local Chinese embassies and consulates.
Glimpses of the Protest Rally Scene in Front of the Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco: (Photography: Guan Yongjie)
Editor: Zhong Ran
Proofreader: Wang Bin
Translator: Ge Bing
