Beware of the CCP's Gradual Persecution
Aug 15, 2024
In modern society, we often assume that extreme atrocities and persecutions occur suddenly, as if disasters strike overnight. However, history repeatedly shows us that many of the most horrifying acts did not happen in one fell swoop but developed gradually through “incremental persecution.” Throughout this process, victims and bystanders may initially downplay or misjudge the severity, eventually falling into an irreversible plight. Today, we must remain highly alert to the CCP’s gradual persecution, drawing lessons from history to prevent similar tragedies from reoccurring.
The Strategy of Gradually Escalating Persecution
Gradual persecution is a suppression strategy often used by totalitarian regimes, employing phased tactics to progressively weaken, isolate, and even eliminate perceived threats. For example, this strategy may begin with public opinion campaigns to defame the target group, eroding its legitimacy and societal support. The regime then uses legal and institutional mechanisms to legitimize and normalize repression, further diminishing the target group’s capacity to resist. The persecution ultimately escalates into extreme measures, including illegal detention, torture, and even genocide, as allegedly seen in cases of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners.
This strategy of gradually escalating persecution avoids intense resistance in the early stages since each escalation builds on prior steps, leaving little time or resources for the targeted group to organize effective resistance. Moreover, by proceeding in this manner, the totalitarian regime maximizes its control over public opinion, minimizing domestic dissent and international intervention, thereby implementing persecution with minimal cost and resistance.
This approach also creates a sense of “legitimacy” and “rationality” at the social level since each step appears as a reasonable continuation of the last, reducing public vigilance, questioning, and opposition to the repression. The result is that society becomes desensitized or indifferent to the persecuted group, with the social space for the target group shrinking until they are completely isolated and eradicated.
The Warning from the Falun Gong Case
The persecution of Falun Gong provides a typical example of how the CCP employs gradual persecution to achieve its repressive goals. Before 1999, Falun Gong had spread widely across China, with millions of practitioners participating. However, once this spiritual movement was perceived as a threat by the CCP, the repression machine began to operate.
In the initial stages, totalitarian regimes usually avoid direct violence and instead employ media manipulation and propaganda to portray the target group negatively. Regarding Falun Gong, the CCP did not immediately resort to severe repression but instead initiated a state-media-led campaign of stigmatization, labeling Falun Gong a “cult” to lay the groundwork for subsequent persecution. The goal of this phase was to erode Falun Gong’s social legitimacy and support through changes in public opinion.
Next, with public opinion shaped, the persecution entered the legal and institutional phase. In 1999, the CCP formally declared Falun Gong an illegal organization, subsequently introducing laws and policies to restrict its members’ activities. This stage marked the formalization and institutionalization of repression, giving it an appearance of “legitimacy,” thereby further isolating Falun Gong practitioners socially.
After these foundational stages, persecution intensified, entering a phase of direct repression through violence and terror. This phase involved widespread arrests, detentions, forced “re-education,” torture, and psychological control. Against Falun Gong practitioners, the CCP not only used torture to force renunciation of beliefs but also relied on long-term detention and labor camps to destroy practitioners physically and mentally. Thus, the repression evolved from initial stigmatization to legal suppression, eventually culminating in physical and psychological violence.
The most shocking aspect is that in the extreme stages, the persecution escalated towards genocide, with Falun Gong practitioners reportedly subjected to forced organ harvesting to supply a horrifying organ transplant industry. This extreme measure is the end result of gradual persecution. If Falun Gong practitioners and society at large had recognized the potential for such extreme repression at the outset, perhaps the early resistance and intervention would have been more vigorous and effective.
Lessons from History
Nazi Germany’s persecution of the Jews is another classic case of gradual persecution. In the early years of World War II, most Jews did not realize they would eventually be sent to concentration camps for extermination, so initial resistance was limited.
Nazi persecution began with incremental steps, progressing from discriminatory laws and social segregation to mass arrests and genocide. For the Jewish community, this was a gradual and shocking process. During the deportation process to concentration camps, many did not fully understand the extent of the atrocities or believed the worst could be avoided.
The Nazi regime implemented strict control and suppression in occupied areas and concentration camps. Jews and other victims were forcibly isolated and cut off from outside information, leaving them unaware of the full extent of events. Additionally, the violent Gestapo and Nazi forces made resistance extremely risky, with individual or small-scale acts of defiance often met with harsher punishments.
Under extreme survival conditions, many Jews were forced to focus solely on basic survival needs. Hunger, disease, forced labor, and intense psychological pressure made it difficult for most people to organize effective resistance within the camps. Moreover, concerns for family members’ safety often discouraged resistance, as people feared that provoking the Nazis would lead to broader retaliation.
Resistance requires not only courage but also resources and organization. At that time, Jews had been stripped of most of their possessions and resources, lacking effective weapons and support to confront the heavily armed Nazi forces. This severe resource scarcity made practical resistance nearly impossible, even if there was a desire to resist.
When they finally realized the extent of the extermination facing them, even intensified resistance efforts were too late to prevent the tragedy. For example, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 was a famous resistance event, where Jewish underground fighters engaged in fierce battles with Nazi forces. Although ultimately unsuccessful, it demonstrated their courage and resolve. Other prisoner uprisings and sabotage acts in camps like Treblinka and Sobibor also exemplify such efforts.
History shows that totalitarian regimes often carry out persecution through gradual escalation, making each stage of repression appear reasonable and lawful, while paving the way for more extreme actions. As society becomes accustomed to one level of persecution, the next atrocity becomes easier to implement, ultimately creating an extreme scenario that becomes difficult to reverse.
Vigilance and Action
The reality we face today remains grim. The CCP continues to implement various forms of repression domestically and seeks to influence international opinion and policies through multiple channels. Therefore, in the face of gradual persecution, we must remain highly vigilant, recognize early warning signs, and take actions to resist.
First, transparency of information and media oversight are essential. By exposing and reporting the truth about persecution, we can disrupt the control of information by totalitarian regimes and prevent them from isolating target groups through propaganda. Second, legal and human rights organizations should strengthen monitoring and intervention to ensure victims’ rights are protected, preventing the institutionalization of repression. Finally, the international community must strengthen cooperation, using diplomatic, economic, and legal means to curb the actions of totalitarian regimes, preventing further escalation.
Conclusion
Gradual persecution is an extremely dangerous strategy of repression, using incremental measures to lead society toward extreme atrocities and human rights disasters. History has repeatedly proven that ignoring this strategy leads to catastrophic outcomes. Today, we must learn from history, remain alert to the CCP’s gradual persecution, and courageously speak out for the persecuted to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies. This is not only to protect individual rights and dignity but also to uphold our shared human values.
