Hundreds of protesters marched, waved signs and flags and occasionally scuffled Wednesday in San Francisco where President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were attending an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders after holding talks down the road at a Woodside estate.
Demonstrators waving Tibetan flags marched midday down Market Street chanting “Free Tibet” and criticizing the Chinese Communist Party and Xi, its leader. There were repeated incidents of pushing and shoving between critics and supporters of China as police separated the groups.
“The United States is a country that believes in human rights,” said demonstrator Penpa Dhundup, 50, of Berkeley, who was draped in a gold, red and blue Tibetan flag and wore a “Save Tibet” headband. “How can they welcome a Communist Party who takes away everything which the United States is based on?”
Earlier in the morning, police in riot gear pushed up against a crowd of demonstrators representing workers’ rights, environmental and other causes trying to prevent attendees from entering the conference at nearby Moscone Center.
“The goal is to try to shut down meetings,” said Donna Denina, of Seattle, one of the No to APEC protest organizers. “There’s a lot of collusion between government and corporate interests, not in line with working people. We don’t have a seat at the table. They shouldn’t either.”
While protesters jostled attendees making their way into the conference, opponents of the gathering did not disrupt any of the meetings inside. San Francisco’s Joint Information Center reported Wednesday that as of mid-afternoon there was just one arrest, around 10:30 a.m., for an aggravated assault in the area of Jessie West and 5th streets. No further details were available. Police also evacuated a mall during the lunch hour because of a person with a suspicious device that turned out to be a cigarette lighter.
“The SFPD and our law enforcement partners have responded to a number of 1st amendment activities throughout the city today,” the JIC said in a statement. “These activities have been mostly peaceful, and we continue to monitor marches and protests that are in progress as well as anticipated events throughout the day.”
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which runs through Friday, is the largest gathering of world leaders in the city since 1945. Along with heads of state from member countries, including Biden and Xi, about 1,200 CEOs and nearly 30,000 delegates from governments and organizations are expected for the event.
