(Minghui.org) Many people in China have recently taken to the streets to protest the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) zero-COVID policy. After the pandemic started, the CCP resorted to military-style lockdowns as a political tool to control people. As long as the zero-policy is still in place, sooner or later people will want it to end. So it’s not surprising to see the recent protests.

The CCP started the draconian measures in Wuhan (where the virus originated) and promoted it as an advantage of centralized power. Although many other countries initially followed suit, they soon realized that such lockdown measures were often irrational and violated people’s basic human rights. They’ve learned to let people live with the virus instead of trying to accomplish the impossible task of eliminating the virus. The real purpose of the CCP’s zero-COVID policy is not the well-being of the Chinese people but to control them. As a result, Chinese people’s basic human rights are being violated.

The need to exercise such stringent control stems from the fact that the CCP is always in survival mode, trying to eliminate whatever enemies it perceives as a threat to its rule. Its evil nature has manifested in its numerous political campaigns, such as seizing private assets (1950s), land reform (1950), Anti-Rightists (1950s), the Great Leap Forward (late 1950s), the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and the persecution of Falun Gong (1999-present). Each campaign targeted different groups, but the goal was the same—to maintain the CCP’s rule.

With the zero-COVID policy, the Chinese have personally experienced being tightly controlled and witnessed the ruthless and vicious nature of the regime. We must forewarn people that the CCP may resort to even more draconian measures in its playbook to crack down on any protests. If “tight control” fails to control people, the CCP will “strike hard” by criminalizing selected individuals to intimidate the general public. With high-tech, the internet, surveillance cameras, and big data, the CCP’s modern version of a strike hard campaign could be made even more convenient and easier to carry out.

Fortunately, many people in China are no longer as submissive or as obedient as they once were, having accessed uncensored information using modern technologies. They realize that the CCP is evil. They may still fear the CCP, but they are refusing to be lambs for the slaughter. Many in China have learned to use software to circumvent the internet blockade, and those who have settled down outside of China have awakened in the free world. Censorship and other means of controlling information are no longer able to restrain people’s freedom of belief and freedom of speech.

Because they’d been brainwashed by the CCP, some people used to believe those targeted by the CCP must have done something wrong. But as people learned the truth about the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the suppression of Falun Gong by reading uncensored information, they came to see that everyone could become a victim. This has become even more clear as the zero-COVID policy continues. Rather than living a lie and fooling themselves, people are taking to the streets to protest the CCP. Some of their slogans have even included asking the CCP to step down. To some extent, the bloodshed in the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners, and the deaths of those who were unable to find food or get medical care due to COVID lockdowns have awakened a lot of people.

The inevitable collapse of the CCP is accelerating. Non-practitioners may resort to violence or revolution to bring it down, but as Falun Dafa practitioners, we are against any form of violence and we do not have any political agenda. We understand non-practitioners protesting the CCP and empathize with them in their efforts to seek freedom. But we practitioners have no enemies, no political pursuit, and no intention of gaining personally.

The best thing for us to do is to help people recognize that the CCP is evil, remind them of the importance of restoring traditional values, and share with them the beauty of the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

As Falun Gong practitioners, our goal is to improve ourselves and bring people blessings, not to go after fame or self-interest in the secular world. Therefore, our efforts to expose the CCP’s brutality and promote the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is not to bring down the CCP per se. The CCP is doomed because of its vicious nature. What we practitioners are doing is exposing the CCP’s true colors and helping people sever ties with it so that they can avoid sinking with the regime.

Above is my personal opinion. Please point out anything inappropriate.