Since 6 June, the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, California have been closely watched by netizens around the world, including the Chinese ones. The events over the weekend generated numerous trending topics on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform.
Many Chinese netizens made light of the violence in the Californian city, referring to it as “karma” and using the phrase “a beautiful sight”. A reference to then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reported comment during the 2019 Hong Kong protests. This phrase also appeared during the George Floyd protests in 2020 and the January 6 US Capitol attack in 2021.
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Other comments from Chinese social media about the Los Angeles protests included jokes about California’s independence, remarks about Governor Gavin Newsom having “a presidential face” in interviews, and calls for the return of “Rooftop Koreans”, referring to the armed Korean American business owners and residents who defended Koreatown during the 1992 LA riots. The term also became a trending topic on Twitter. Chinese netizens are mostly derisive bystanders online over these events, given the tense geopolitical situation. Hopefully, the latest London trade talks between China and the US will help alleviate the tension.