Protesters rallying for various causes blocked streets near the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Wednesday, and there was one comedic moment that went viral on social media.
Many of the demonstrators had gathered to protest the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with his counterpart Joe Biden face-to-face for the first time in a year just outside San Francisco, where the annual summit was being held.
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of liberal outlet MeidasTouch, shared a clip of the moment a woman at a protest reportedly organized by Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, tried in vain to burn a Chinese flag.
The video posted on X, formerly Twitter, from Steve Bannon’s War Room program on the conservative news network Real America’s Voice, shows a man telling Bannon that he would get the crowd loud enough to be heard “in mainland China.”
Steve Bannon’s organized protest of President Xi today was a smorgasbord of unintentional comedy. They are supposed to light the Chinese flag on fire here, but couldn’t get it to burn. pic.twitter.com/Ji3McmpVIi
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 16, 2023
The man then led protesters in a chant of “take down the CCP (Chinese Communist Party).”
Seconds later, a woman appears on screen and attempts to set light to a Chinese flag that another person is holding.
After several failed attempts to light the flag on fire, they both walk off. The clip has been viewed at least 100,000 times in the hours since it was posted.
“Steve Bannon’s organized protest of President Xi today was a smorgasbord of unintentional comedy,” Filipkowski wrote on X. “They are supposed to light the Chinese flag on fire here, but couldn’t get it to burn.”
Newsweek has contacted Bannon’s program for comment via email.
One person joked in response that “to be fair, that flag was made in China.”
Gilles Clarenne/AFP via Getty Images
Others highlighted Bannon’s relationship with Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. Bannon was arrested on Guo’s yacht in 2020 on charges that he and associates ripped off donors trying to fund a southern border wall. Trump pardoned him during his final hours in office.
Another person wrote: “What an idiot. Like it or not, USA & China are tied to each other economically. If either falters, it effects both nations. And if it was Trump meeting with Xi, the far right would think it was brilliant.”
Xi was greeted by a large crowd of Chinese flag-waving supporters when he arrived in San Francisco earlier this week. The San Francisco Standard reported that banners and balloons hailing his arrival stretched for blocks around the St. Regis, the luxury hotel in downtown San Francisco where he is staying. Some anti-Communist Party protesters had also gathered in the area, the newspaper reported.
After Biden met Xi on Wednesday, he told reporters that their exchange included “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”
The president said Xi agreed to help curb the production of illicit fentanyl, which is a deadly component of drugs sold in the United States. “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xi’s commitment on this issue,” Biden said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.