A journalist in British Columbia has emerged victorious in a defamation case following a 77-day protest that unfolded in front of his residence in Surrey in 2020. The B.C. Supreme Court, in a ruling issued on Thursday by Justice Richard Hewson, granted Bing Chen Gao $275,000 in damages, pinpointing Yun Fei Zhu as the individual responsible for disseminating defamatory remarks about him.
During the trial, Gao detailed how Zhu and a group of demonstrators picketed outside his home on a daily basis from September 15, 2020, until December 1, 2020. The protests, which attracted crowds ranging from approximately 10 to 60 individuals, were live-streamed, primarily by Zhu, who assumed a leadership role, broadcasting for about five hours each day to an online audience.
Further demonstrations and live broadcasts occurred outside Gao’s residence from January 20 to 25, 2023, as per court records. Gao alleged that the protesters branded him as a spy for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), distributed leaflets disclosing his home address, and played funeral music near his house.
The protesters were noted to be backers of Chinese magnate Guo Wenghui, a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party who established the New Federal State of China (NFSC), a political movement striving to supplant the CCP in China. Guo recently received a 30-year prison sentence in the U.S. for involvement in a billion-dollar fraud scheme.
Justice Hewson’s ruling highlighted the diverse perspectives on Guo Wengui, with some perceiving him as a brave dissident uncovering corruption, while others viewed him and the NFSC as untrustworthy, conspiratorial, and cult-like. Gao, a former journalist critical of Guo, was also vocal against the CCP, having been engaged in pro-democracy activities in China before relocating to Canada in 2004. Nonetheless, the protesters outside his home accused him of being a CCP-trained operative.
Pamphlets distributed during the protests alleged that Gao posed as an anti-communist activist, operating a specialized YouTube channel to disseminate false information on behalf of the CCP, manipulate public opinion, and defame genuine anti-communist activists and Canadian opponents of the CCP. The leaflets further claimed that Gao received funds from the CCP.
Throughout the live streams, demonstrators could be heard chanting derogatory remarks in English and Mandarin directed at Gao. Zhu testified that he ceased participating in the protests after an assault occurred in the cul-de-sac but resumed his involvement in the 2023 demonstrations.
Gao attested that the assault targeted a friend of his, emphasizing the detrimental impact of the protests on his family, including his wife, young daughter, and elderly mother-in-law. Justice Hewson held Zhu accountable for defamatory statements made by him and other speakers during the live streams. Gao was granted $250,000 in general damages and an additional $25,000 in aggravated damages, along with an injunction restraining Zhu from repeating defamatory statements and an order to pay $5,000 in court expenses.
