University of Maryland Faces $10 Million Lawsuit After Shutting Down Anti-CCP Protests and Allowing CCP Drone to Harass Protesters

 

by Matt Palumbo

Last month, on February 7th, protesters from the New Federal State of China (NFSC) were shut down by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), despite having been granted a permit to protest. They were there to protest against Shan Weijian, a CCP-tied billionaire that has publicly defended the regime’s human rights abuses, and did so peacefully, holding anti-CCP signs and handing out flyers.

The NFSC is a global movement founded by Miles Guo and followed by hundreds of millions of Chinese people who are dedicated to exposing and dismantling the CCP once and for all.

U.S. Marshalls showed up, and police threatened the NFSC protesters with arrest, and their permit to protest was revoked. The justification given was a bankruptcy order dated January 13 that the NFSC protesters say they’re not bound by. It was issued in a different jurisdiction in a matter completely unrelated to this protest, making the actions of UMBC and law enforcement here unconstitutional.

Among the oddities of the day included sightings of an unidentified drone flying around the protesters before they were shut down by the University.

In no shortage of documented cases has the CCP used similar types of drones to spy on their enemies.

NFSC protestors said that a drone flew around the protest site and even came within inches of them in an effort to intimidate them. A police officer confirmed that the drone did not belong to them, and the campus is classified as a federal class-B no-fly zone due to its proximity to an airport. Despite this warning and lack of clearance from air-traffic control, the CCP likely disregarded the legal restrictions. Given the circumstances, and the CCP’s long history of disregard for U.S. law, it is improbable that the drone belonged to recreational users, and this incident at UMBC appears to be an instance of CCP interference against the NFSC movement.

The CCP has been known to use drones to surveil critics and suppress dissent. In recent years, the CCP has been using drones equipped with cameras and other surveillance technology to monitor and track individuals who are perceived as a threat to the regime. This includes activists, journalists, and defenders of human rights. The CCP used drones domestically to enforce social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of drones for surveillance, especially in violation of U.S. law, highlights the Chinese government’s disregard for privacy and civil liberties and underscores the need for international pressure to hold the CCP accountable for its well-documented human rights abuses. Similar technology was used in the recent “Chinese spy balloon” controversy that embarrassed the Biden administration.

Harassment incidents against the NFSC began in 2017, according to the group. Miles Guo, the founder of the NFSC, has fallen victim to many such incidents himself.

An insider account on July 15, 2017 revealed that an attack on Guo’s daughter’s boat, the Lady May, was part of a plan carried out by the People’s Liberation Army. The plan was suspiciously detailed and outlined how the CCP could use drones to attack or potentially kill Guo. Just two weeks later, on July 30, 2017, a drone persistently harassed Guo and other passengers aboard their boat on the Hudson River. The incident took a dramatic turn when the boat appeared to have been hacked, nearly causing a shipwreck. The exclusive footage captured by the drone during the incident was later published on a YouTube channel called “New China Channel,” which prominently features CCP propaganda that praises Chairman Xi Jinping, confirming the CCP’s involvement in the attack.

The real reason the UMBC protest was shut down was because Shan Weijian’s daughter LeeAnn Akrou Shan, who is a doctoral student at UMBC, complained to the administration, who obliged, presumably under pressure. A source familiar with the matter has also said that a secret donation of tens of millions of dollars was pledged to the UMBC by Shan Weijian following the University’s successful vacation of peaceful NFSC protesters.

A lawsuit, initiated by peaceful NFSC protesters, has since been filed against UMBC and related parties, including Shan Weijian and LeeAnn Akrou Shan, for violating their constitutional rights to protest. The plaintiffs seek no less than $10 million in damages in five counts of charges against UMBC, Shan, and others. In addition to securing their right to protest peacefully, the lawsuit may also reveal how the CCP pulled the strings in getting the protests shut down, and the secret donation to UMBC by Shan.

This case highlights the authoritarian tactics the CCP is willing to deploy against their critics. NFSC founder Guo is currently in jail on false charges which have been orchestrated in part by the CCP. It is crucial that we raise awareness and call for justice for Miles Guo, as his case is just one example of the CCP’s attempts to silence dissent and suppress freedom of expression. We must continue to demand that the CCP be held accountable for their abuses and push for greater respect for human rights in China. We must stand together and demand they “Free Miles” – because if we don’t, the CCP will win.