For Jiang Shengda, as for the thousands of people gathered at Paris's République square on May 5, 2024, the demonstration was about countering the supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping, drowning out their cheers at the leader's visit to France. Indeed, when Xi arrived at the airport that day, he was greeted by then prime minister Gabriel Attal and thousands of members of the Chinese diaspora, who waved large French and Chinese flags along his route.

At the same time, at Place de la République in Paris, Jiang, a young dissident artist, was about to speak before the crowd of Tibetans and people opposed to Xi's visit when he received a call, and then another dozen, from his mother. Jiang did not answer: It was midnight in Beijing, and his mother should have been asleep. "She would obviously tell me not to participate. But I thought I had to do it," said Jiang, sporting long black hair that framed his face, a goatee on his chin and sunglasses.

After his speech, he called his mother back: The police had contacted his father, "they told him to forbid me from doing anything public while the great leader was here." Just like Jiang, at least nine other members of his organization, the Front for Freedom in China (FLCN), a collective of dissidents, have faced pressure. Many Tibetans and Uyghurs have also received warnings or threats, often through their relatives who have stayed behind in China.

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