Concerns as anti-Chinese publication lands on Coventry doorsteps

The Epoch Times claims the global pandemic was caused by the Chinese Communist Party

Coventry residents have spoken out after they received a publication claiming Chinese political leaders covered up the coronavirus outbreak – leading to the worldwide pandemic.

A number of residents around Canley and Cannon Park, close to the University of Warwick, appear to have received the publication, called The Epoch Times.

And one resident said she fears that the material in it could lead some people to victimise or blame people of Chinese and East Asian origin for the outbreak of coronavirus.

In a lengthy statement, a spokesman for the Epoch Times said that they took stringent steps to differentiate the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party and that they are “truly standing up for the Chinese people, or Asian people generally”.

One woman, of Vietnamese origin, said that since the pandemic hit she has noticed a change in people’s behaviour – from people staring to overhearing comments that “no one will want to use Chinese takeaways any more”.

She stressed that she supports free speech – but is concerned at the use of some of the language within the publication.

“I think it uses language that stokes a sense of division and mistrust. It’s not evidence based,” she said. “It is whipping up this sense of injustice and fear. That has implications for ethnic minorities.

“Since Covid there has been a rise in anti-Chinese sentiment.”

Another woman said she had been shocked to see the publication – which she has never heard of - delivered through her letterbox.

“I don’t know what their intention is,” she said. “One of its big arguments is that [China] was slow to warn the world. That’s probably true but it seems to be editorialised and imply that China is evil.

“It’s sophisticated language and I worry that, if people read it without employing critical thinking, that it could encourage casual racism.”

She added: “What is the purpose of sending this to homes in Coventry, particularly an area where there is a high percentage of people of Asian origin?

“This is the city of peace and reconciliation – that’s something I’m proud of. But reading this made my hair stand on end.”

What is the Epoch Times?

A spokesman for the publication said it was founded in the United States in the year 2000 “in response to communist repression and censorship in China”.

They claim to have evidence showing that the scale of transmission and number of deaths was “at least 10 times to 20 times more than the numbers officially published by the Chinese Communist Party”.

They confirmed that a special print edition was initially delivered to “select” areas in the United States, and following a “good response” was then distributed in other areas, including parts of the UK.

The edition centres on claims that Beijing’s cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak led to a global pandemic, with the front page headline “How the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world”.

The publication remains relatively unknown in the UK, and is more widely recognised in the United States. The New York Times recently described it as “one of the most mysterious fixtures of the pro-Trump media universe.”

The New Statesman recently published an article claiming that local councillors and politicians had received emails with links to articles published by the Epoch Times.

And an investigative reporter in Germany found that the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) regard it as one of their main sources of information, according to an article in the New Republic.