On September 30, the flag of China was raised over the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The flag was raised by Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to commemorate the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, in what was advertised as a harmless gesture of goodwill honoring the Chinese immigrant community.
Not surprisingly, the move drew sharp criticism, including from Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), who pointed out that the flag is not merely a national symbol, but represents China’s oppressive totalitarian regime, which not only broadly persecutes and oppresses its own citizens, but is America’s avowed enemy besides.
Honoring Diversity
The flag-raising ceremony, which has been done at least twice in the recent past, was approved by the Philadelphia Honors Diversity Flag Raising Program, which was established in 2018. According to Philadelphia City Solicitor Renee Garcia, speaking with Newsweek, “In accordance with First Amendment precedent, the City of Philadelphia’s flag-raising policy applies objective, viewpoint-neutral criteria, specifically, a foreign nation’s flag may be raised if the country maintains a Consulate or Embassy in the United States or is recognized by the U.S. Department of State. The People’s Republic of China meets both criteria.”
Disgrace to Our Values
Congressman Moolenaar, by contrast, said, “Raising the flag of the People’s Republic of China over Philadelphia is a disgrace to our nation’s founding values and flies in the face of all the courageous dissidents and human rights advocates who tirelessly work to bring freedom to the Chinese people.” And Rushan Abbas, advocate for China’s oppressed Uighurs, said that “Philadelphia, the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution, should not be used as a platform for authoritarian propaganda.”
Alas, these are the kinds of needless moral dilemmas that arise when we continue to allow our political and industrial leaders to have it both ways: to benefit economically from continued engagement with communist China, even as that regime continues to turn our own resources against us and works to subvert and destroy us. With the deadliest regime in human history, there can be no middle ground.
