Patrick Henry in China
The quest for liberty is universal
"Give me liberty or give me death." Protesters in cities throughout China were actually chanting Patrick Henry's revolutionary war cry from 1775 this week, as tens of thousands poured into the streets in defiance of the authoritarian regime in Beijing. The demonstrators, mostly young, chanted "We don't want emperors!" and held up blank pieces of paper to symbolize their inability to speak freely. Thus far, President Xi Jinping has not ordered a violent crackdown, but police cleared streets and photographed protesters' faces. Those images will be fed into China's Orwellian face-recognition database, which tracks every citizen's cellphone and monitors everything from their internet activity to jaywalking. It takes unimaginable bravery — and the pent-up anger created by suffocating repression — for people to defy authority in a society where "bad" citizens can be dragged away and swallowed by the monstrous maw of the state.
Millions of Iranian women and men are summoning equally inspiring courage to defy their theocratic rulers' dress and moral codes. Protesters are chanting "Death to Khamenei" in 220 Iranian cities, with hundreds sacrificing their lives in bloody battles with police. Iranians, a female university professor in Tehran wrote under a pseudonym, are demanding "the separation of religion from state. This revolution is about freedom of choice." The passionate uprisings in Iran and China, as well as Ukrainians' fierce resistance against Russia's genocidal invasion, should remind us of the fragility and preciousness of America's freedoms. Our founding ideals, tarnished and dented as they might be, still serve as lodestars to oppressed peoples around the globe. In recent years, the 45th president and those who welcomed or excused his assault on democracy showed us that we cannot take self-rule and fundamental rights for granted. Strongmen and demagogues are always waiting in the wings. The struggle for freedom never ends.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
The drive behind Germany's pro-Israel political consensus
Under the Radar Belief that Israel's security is a 'raison d'etre for the German republic' is under growing pressure
By The Week UK Published
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Iran at the crossroads: have the mullahs lost their grip?
In Depth Iranian voters delivered a 'stinging rebuke' to the regime in parliamentary elections
By The Week UK Published
-
'Grandstanding about the existential threat climate change poses'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'TikTok is a national-security threat'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'The Great Resignation has given way to the Big Stay'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
As economy falters, China girds its defenses
Talking Points Leaders want to grow the military faster than the economy
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Women led Iran's protests. What will new elections mean for them?
Talking Points The protests, and the backlash, loom over the polling
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Putting party above country ultimately damages both'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published