In a time where war propaganda and fake news coming from the West is running rampant, one should do their due diligence to research any agenda being pushed by mainstream media. However, the amount of skepticism over something as obvious as what is happening to the Uyghur in Xinjiang has led to outright denial of human rights violations by many. Daniel Dumbrill is another classic example of a western “anti-imperialist” and “anti-racist” who is quick to condemn white supremacy and western imperialism, yet outright denies any human rights violations committed onto Uyghur by China. Dumbrill is one of many foreign influencers on YouTube living in China that is being used by the Communist Party of China to “debunk” any criticism of China and post how life in Eastern Turkistan (Xinjiang) “really is.” According to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Dumbrill is one of 13 foreign influences in China making content pushing pro-Communist Party of China narratives.

The Canadian “anti-imperialist” repeats the same talking points and uses the same verbiage as the Communist Party of China when discussing the situation in Xinjiang in his videos. In one video titled “A Conversation With a ‘Chinese Concentration Camp’ Survivor”, he claims to have had a conversation with a “graduate from one of the vocational training centers designed for deradicalization” while coincidentally not having any recording or proof of this conversation. How convenient, to share the story of an alleged conversation about a “training center” while ignoring the hundreds of testimonies from Uyghurs who have shared their experiences of human rights violations they suffered from. Oddly enough, he then admits that he believes the so-called vocational training centers are not optional for the participants and that there were people forced into the camps that “probably didn’t deserve to be there.” In defense of the Chinese government, Dumbrill says “Based on what they were facing in Xinjiang, what else were they supposed to do?”  He then compares this to how there were no re-education attempts for a Neo-Nazi who were arrested and sentenced to prison in the UK. Very bold to compare anti-colonialists who desire the right to self-governance, to Neo-Nazis caught with Nazi propaganda on their phones.

The Uyghur Truth Project condemns all forms of imperialism no matter who the perpetrator is. Like Jackson Hinkle, Dumbrill creates a false dichotomy between Uyghurs and Palestinians. We are watching U.S. politicians indefensibly deny the ethnic cleansing and mass murder of Palestinians committed by the Zionist state of Israel. Western anti-imperialists vehemently show solidarity with Palestinians against Zionism, and rightfully so, yet fail to condemn Sino imperialism. Dumbrill claims that there is “renewed efforts to push the ‘Uyghur genocide’” and that showing solidarity with both Uyghur and Palestinians is helping Israel. Contrary to belief, it is possible to show solidary with all oppressed people. For someone who claims to care about Palestinians and to deny being a tool for the Chinese government, it is quite strange that Dumbrill has yet to condemn China for urging the Houthis to stop the seizing of ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis demand that the Zionist state stop the bombing and allow humanitarian aid through to Palestinians, and with their actions the traffic through the Red Sea is down by more than 40% which has disrupted the global supply chain. If he wasn’t on the Communists’ payroll, he would be showing solidarity with the Houthis who are the epitome of anti-imperialism in 2024.

Do western officials care about Uyghur? Of course not, they have had no regard for the lives of all victims of Western Imperialism. However, just because they are using others oppression to their advantage does not make the oppression any less true. Free the Uyghurs.