Sparked by the publication of several anti-communist articles in an international newspaper, students and members of the public gathered Saturday in Coffman Union to further discuss the ruling party in China.

The Epoch Times, an international newspaper published in New York, recently published nine commentaries criticizing communism in China.

The Minnesota Chinese Club organized the event, called Nine Commentaries of the Chinese Communist Party, in which approximately 50 attendees listened to speakers and discussed China’s future.

Speaker Jin Zhong said the Chinese people do not have faith in the Communist Party anymore, “so it is only a matter of time until its demise,” he said. “But we need a trigger to start the demise.”

Speakers said they urged audience members to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party and create a reform. They also spoke of the importance of making others aware of the conflict.

“You need to start from the government rather than from the individual. If you start from the individual, you will provoke conflict between the people,” said Cao An, an event speaker and Pan-America Capital Inc. economy special analyst and chief executive officer.

Event co-organizer Mingweis Shu said that she moved to the United States from China eight years ago.

“We’re trying to take this opportunity to spread awareness and to help make China free,” she said.

“In China, innocent people are taken to prison and beaten. Women are tortured to death. There is no one to protect them. Children are beaten, and pregnant women are forced to have abortions. Every few years, there is a massacre, a big moment in which they kill a bunch of people.”

David Cheng, Chinese American Student Association president, did not attend the event but said people’s views on the Chinese government differ.

He said his statements did not represent his group, but most Chinese Americans do not agree with the communist government.

Several audience members stood up and described negative memories they had from their experiences in the communist country.

Margaret Jiang, who recently moved here from China, said the Communist Party deceives the Chinese citizens.

“They want to eliminate the rich people who have power, then they take over the country,” she said.

Shu said there’s hope Chinese people read the newspaper’s editorials, because at least some issues slipped past the Chinese government.

The nine commentaries should spread awareness of the issue, she said.

Don Chi, an event organizer, said his views of the government changed after he left the country.

“It used to be when you say the Communist Party is bad, then it was like I was bad, because I am Chinese. It wasn’t until I left China and came to the U.S. that I saw it in a different way. I recognized what communism really was,” Chi said.

The speakers also spoke about restoring the Chinese culture that has been dissolved and overtaken by communist culture.