Bearing anti-communism posters, flowers, and candles, two dozen people from the Chinese and Tibetan community held a small memorial outside the Chinese Embassy in Sydney on Friday, to honour the life of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.
Many held signs with the image of the man they say symbolised courage in the face of adversity, while protesting the Chinese government’s actions in detaining Liu Xiaobo up until his death in hospital from liver cancer.
“We are really, really sad and really angry at the Chinese government,” memorial organiser Mike Zhong told SBS World News.
"We think the human right to freedom is very important to us. [Liu Xiaobo] devoted his whole life to the pro-democracy movement of China and his words still encourage us to struggle [against] the autocratic system."
Some members of pro-democracy movements told SBS World News they will ask the local council to change the name of the street the embassy is currently located on in Sydney, to “Liu Xiaobo” street.
“It’s important for Chinese immigrants here,” Chen Yonglin told SBS.
“It’s about freedom and hope for people [in Australia] still concerned about their family and relatives in China.”
A writer and activist, Liu rose to prominence during the 1989 protests centered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. He was imprisoned four times for crimes linked to demonstrations.
Liu died from multiple organ failure after being denied treatment abroad.
