Share this page!

Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
Twitter logo
31 Oct, 23 tweets, 11 min read
THREAD: There’s a lot in this story. If you’ve heard rumours that #COVID19 is a Chinese bioweapon, it’s likely linked to this group, founded by Steve Bannon and billionaire Guo Wengui. And now they’re targeting people they believe are “spies” for China: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
These protesters are part of a larger group that has been taking shifts to protest outside journalist and YouTube personality Benson Gao Bingchen’s house almost every day since Sept. 14 for up to six hours at a time. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @huanghebian
Every day, the protesters show up and they chant and parade around the quiet Metro Vancouver cul-de-sac.

Police tell residents to stay inside, and since there’s no law against protesting on a public street, they cannot make arrests. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
It’s a lot to process. So we made a video:
When your editor-in-chief who has seen it all is surprised by a story...
The “New Federal State of China”, founded this June by Chinese billionaire-in-exile Guo Wengui and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, wants to take down the CCP and create an alternative Chinese state. Its affiliated media group collected US $300 million from investors.
There are a series of videos of a man listing names of people including Benson Gao and telling his supporters that “they all deserve to die.” The man in the video looked and sounded like Guo Wengui, multiple people listed in the video told the Star. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
In another video, Guo Wengui’s face is clearly shown, and he says, “Let’s eliminate traitors in the world … Let’s finish with these traitors first.” Bannon doesn’t appear in most of the group’s materials, and it’s unclear what role he plays. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
This is Benson Gao. As a journalist and activist, Gao has spoken out against Beijing’s authoritarian rule for over a decade. His stance would seem to make him an unlikely target for this group. Video with translations in story: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
The group includes people who have flown in to join the daily protests, and they livestream to their array of proprietary media sites. One protester told me she tried to send tens of thousands to New York to invest in the group but her bank stopped her. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
In several YouTube videos before the protests started, Benson Gao criticized the “nonsense spouted by Guo Wengui.” Recently, he has been open with his theory that whipping up supporters to target individuals was Guo’s way to silence critics. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Benson Gao is among a group of immigrants from China to Canada who have been lobbying Ottawa to push against Beijing's foreign influence. @Nuttallreports profiled him last year, when Gao couldn't have imagined that he'd be accused of being a Chinese spy. thestar.com/politics/2019/…
There's been reporting on the "New Federal State" in US media, though I can't vouch for everything in the stories since fact-checking for the story was very challenging. Here's one by NBC and another by Foreign Policy. nbcnews.com/politics/justi… foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/28/guo…
In Texas, Christian Pastor Bob Fu told me that dozens of protesters gather outside his home daily. He has received death threats and bomb threats.

“Federal FBI and local law enforcement had to evacuate us from our home to an undisclosed safe location." thestar.com/news/canada/20…
After the group's "GTV Media" raised more than $300 million US from investors, at least one of whom publicly complained about being defrauded, the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission opened investigations, the WSJ reported: wsj.com/articles/fundr…
Times are strange. I made efforts over a week to contact Guo and Bannon. I noted that Bannon made a film last year, “Claws of the Red Dragon,” that said on its website it was inspired by my interview with the former Canadian ambassador to China. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
This story shows that what happens in the US doesn't stay in the US.

To Benson Gao, U.S. authorities including the FBI are handling the situation appropriately, and he questions why Canada hasn't done more to protect his family or investigate the group. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
If you're still like what?! This video by @kelseyleewilson with my footage tells the story in a way that only seeing it for yourself can. HUGE thanks to @SincerelyPriya & @TorontoStar colleagues for painstaking edits for as much clarity as possible.
To lawyer @PaulDoroshenko, there’s a clash between the right to protest and the right to be protected from harassment.

“It’s one thing to be protesting, and another thing to protest day after day, week after week...That seems completely ridiculous." thestar.com/news/canada/20…
"To me, this calls out for some kind of provincial legislation … if existing laws do not cover the situation,” @PaulDoroshenko said.

What do you think? Do you think authorities should be able to get the protesters to leave, or they have rights too? thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Ok, END THREAD. Would love to discuss, but please read the story first or watch the video. We spent a ton of time because we think it's an important story to tell in detail; try a different browser if you've hit your cap of free articles. Thank you! thestar.com/news/canada/20…
One last part of the story I’d like to note and ask for readers’ thoughts. Full quotes and translations from original video interview in the story: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
And in case you haven’t guessed, there’s a lot to the story that can’t fit into one article. I’ll be doing a follow-up. Let me know your questions! thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣

Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @joannachiu

Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
30 Oct
The @TorontoStar is restarting it's internship program! Great news for Canadian #journalism. Paid internships are so important because many young reporters can't and really shouldn't work for free.

It's a year-long and the pay is very competitive. jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Torstar/743999…
After undergrad, in which I already had experience freelancing as a student for years, I spent two years in journalism grad school and internships in which my income for those years was negative. I'm only still a journalist now because I'm privileged (parents supported me).
There has always been a high demand for quality journalism, and readers are increasingly willing to subscribe,

According to @NewsMediaCanada, the problem is that Google and Facebook collect around 80 per cent of digital advertising revenues in Canada. thestar.com/politics/feder…
Read 10 tweets
Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
30 Sep
NEW: Toronto’s accelerating #COVID19 spread has killed the concept of “social bubbles", prompting officials to urge residents to get close only to other household members.

This is rough for people living alone or with people they have conflict with. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Globally, #COVID19 cases continue to spread, making people who have been acting responsibly feel "helpless," psychologists say.

I wrote about why the long winter ahead may bring a "triple whammy" of negative mental health factors. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar
I spoke with Mark, who very briefly considered putting off ending a relationship that wasn’t working out, so daunting was the prospect of a winter alone in his apartment with only the company of his roommate’s two cats.

His comments are pretty relatable: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Read 14 tweets
Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
24 Sep
THREAD: Many Canadians grieved #RBG's passing, and I wondered if some are so engaged with U.S. politics that they are volunteering.

I found out that there could be "unprecedented" levels of Canadian engagement in #US2020 elections this year. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar
U.S. law allows foreign nationals to do most routine volunteer work, such as phone canvassing and door-knocking. But experts say there are still questions of undue foreign influence and ethical concerns: thestar.com/news/canada/20…
This is Canadian software engineer Ravi Jagannadhan. When he moved to the U.S. in 2005, he had no intention to stay.

But @BarackObama inspired him, and he faced no problems as a foreigner on a work visa to go into his local campaign office to volunteer. thestar.com/news/canada/20… Image
Read 18 tweets
Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
21 Sep
Global Times is making the news for publishing a threat on the Taiwan president's life. Some important context here by @pingroma on the belligerent state-owned newspaper. It's not quite a direct mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party. qz.com/745577/inside-…
It's important to differentiate between China's "state-run" and "state-owned" media. I don't want to give an exhaustive list because my understanding may be outdated. Here's @ericfish85 on the extent to which the @globaltimesnews speaks for itself. foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/28/chi…
People's Daily newspaper, on the other hand (@PDChina) is definitely the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece. scmp.com/tech/article/2…
Read 18 tweets
Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
17 Sep
Woke up with burning eyes from wildfire smoke then made mistake of stepping outside. Attacked by several giant stink-bugs, which made me jerk my head and now there's a big crick in my neck. Still covered in wounds and bruises from fall to literal rock-bottom hole last week...
At least our new air purifier arrived one day early! My family works outdoors and have to wear masks all day, so it’s good to have some cleaner indoor air at least. Image
No now the filter won’t open and I’m on the floor trying to get it open but I’m too weak, sniffling because everything hurts.

Going to call it a day.
Read 5 tweets
Joanna Chiu 趙淇欣 Profile picture
16 Sep
As China-related tensions spike around the world, Canada's parliament is on a break ... leaving some Canadians concerned about their safety.

My story in @TorontoStar w/ comments @chercywong @PrestonJordanL1 @cburton001 @GarnettGenuis: thestar.com/news/canada/20… #cdnpoli
Back in January, the director of a group in support of Hong Kong democracy received a call to her hotel demanding she leave and that “people” were coming to collect her.

Police didn't help much, but a new parliament committee listened to her concerns.
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Last week, Oz journalists @billbirtles @MikeSmithAFR fled China after police demanded interviews and blocked their departures in relation to the arrest of Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei.

This raises questions about the safety of all journalists in China. thestar.com/news/world/aus…
Read 16 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get email notifications when new thread is out from this Author!

Check out other threads from this Author!

Read all threads by @joannachiu