The World Uyghur Congress condemns China for using Uyghur dance shows in Paris and Budapest as propaganda to hide the ongoing genocide in East Turkistan.
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) strongly condemns the recent circulation of propaganda videos on social media showing Uyghur dancers from East Turkistan performing in the main squares of Paris and Budapest. These staged performances, disguised as cultural displays, are part of a broader campaign by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to whitewash the ongoing Uyghur genocide and present a false image of freedom and cultural vitality in the region, according to a WUC press release dated April 21, 2025..
“These Uyghur artists brought from East Turkistan are only enabling China’s propaganda in the West,” said WUC President, Turgunjan Alawdun. “The Chinese government is attempting to revamp its image despite consistent reporting of mass violations, and genocide.“
The featured performers, a well-known state-sponsored ensemble from East Turkistan, were shown singing and dancing to traditional Uyghur songs in front of European audiences. These performances are not genuine expressions of cultural pride or freedom—they are tightly controlled and orchestrated by the CCP to spread the misleading narrative that Uyghurs are living freely and practicing their culture without interference.
While the CCP showcases Uyghur dancers abroad, it continues to detain countless Uyghur artists, intellectuals, and cultural leaders at home, criminalizing the very culture it pretends to celebrate on the international stage.
This is not the first instance of such propaganda. Similar staged cultural showcases have taken place in Turkey, several Arab countries, and other locations as part of China’s global disinformation strategy to obscure international scrutiny of its crimes against humanity. Similar propaganda efforts have been documented, including when the Chinese mission in Geneva has hosted photo exhibitions with Uyghurs seen dancing and singing, with no mention of mass abuses.
The World Uyghur Congress calls on governments, civil society, and media outlets to recognize these events for what they truly are: propaganda tools that exploit Uyghur culture under state control and serve to deny the reality of repression, internment, and forced assimilation in East Turkistan.
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