The student protest in Sydney against China's repressive population policy was a great success, according to Paul Smeaton, the event organiser. In a press statement, he said:
"Today is about expressing our opposition to the one child policy and the indirect support it receives from most leading Western governments, including Australia. We are bearing witness to our hope that the Chinese government will end the terrible violence inflicted upon their own people and embrace a culture that respects the dignity and rights of all human beings."
The students held banners, handed out hundreds of leaflets and engaged in discussion with passers-by.
I feel privileged to know Paul Smeaton, who came to work for me at the United Nations during his gap year. It is heartening to see a new generation courageously bearing witness to a truth many in the West find it impossible to confront. Long may it continue.
