The overseas nonviolent projection campaign against the Chinese regime called the “Path of Light” has recently encountered obstruction in both New York, and Berlin, drawing public attention.
“Path of Light” (光覆之路) is a global nonviolent protest campaign launched in 2026 by the activist network China Action (中國行動). It uses high-powered projectors to beam powerful images, slogans, and artwork onto the facades of Chinese embassies, consulates, and other symbolic buildings worldwide — creating striking, temporary public displays as a form of peaceful political expression and resistance.
Regarding concerns over whether Chinese diplomatic missions abroad have changed their response tactics and whether the campaign will adjust its future activities, Su Yutong, a spokesperson for “Path of Light,” told Vision Times in an interview that some Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have indeed strengthened security deployments and countermeasures. However, she said that the rule-of-law environment in democratic countries remains an important constraint, and the group will use legal channels to defend its rights while continuing to expand its activities to more countries.
Campaign against China’s Ethnic Unity Law
According to “Path of Light,” on the evening of July 1, outside the Consulate General of China in New York, the group launched a nonviolent projection campaign targeting China’s newly implemented Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress.
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The organizers alleged that a security guard with Epic Security repeatedly shoved and punched campaign participants while attempting to stop the projection, and seized and damaged equipment including GoPro cameras. Participants said they did not retaliate throughout the incident and only attempted to protect their equipment and call the police.
The organizers also alleged that consulate staff used powerful flashlights to block the projection and shone the lights into participants’ eyes.
Police arrived approximately 20 minutes later, but the security guard involved had already left the scene. The organizers said that one police officer watched only the beginning of the video footage before stopping and did not review the subsequent scenes showing the confrontation. They also said police made no arrests at the scene, leading those present to question whether law enforcement had acted impartially.
Su Yutong said that regarding the New York incident, the team has completed a criminal complaint and has hired lawyers to prepare a lawsuit against Epic Security. The group has also filed a complaint with the regulatory authority overseeing the security industry, requesting an investigation and the revocation of the company’s security license.
As of publication, Epic Security, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the Chinese Consulate General in New York had not publicly responded to these allegations.
Projections in Germany
From June 29 to 30, the German team of “Path of Light” conducted nonviolent projection actions for two consecutive nights near the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Germany.
On the first evening, the team was blocked by security personnel while projecting outside the embassy. Berlin police instructed the participants to leave, citing “political reasons.” The team then moved to the Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin and the German Parliament building, where they completed the projection.
On the second evening, the group observed significantly heightened security around the embassy, with multiple personnel patrolling the area using powerful flashlights. Adapting quickly, the participants relocated to a nearby S-Bahn platform, where they successfully carried out the projection. They then boarded a train and departed moments before security forces reached the site.
In response to interventions by Chinese embassy security personnel and Berlin police, activist Su Yutong reported the incidents to Germany’s Interior Ministry and several German lawmakers. She argued that Germany should not extend special protection to authoritarian regimes, including those of Russia and China.
Discussing the two recent incidents in New York and Berlin, Su Yutong said that several representative Chinese diplomatic missions abroad — including the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the Chinese Consulate General in New York, and the Chinese Embassy in Germany — have adopted relatively stricter countermeasures against projection campaigns.
“These embassies and consulates are the most important overseas windows for the Chinese authorities, so they are continuously upgrading their security measures and countermeasure equipment,” she said.
However, she believes this does not mean that Chinese diplomatic missions abroad will generally respond to projection campaigns through direct physical confrontation.
Su Yutong said that under the legal frameworks of democratic countries, Chinese diplomatic missions overseas are themselves subject to the laws of their host countries, and therefore rarely engage in physical confrontations with activists. “In places including Australia, New Zealand, and Germany, security personnel at Chinese diplomatic missions have generally remained relatively restrained. Therefore, the assault incident in New York will not become a normalized trend.”
Regarding the New York incident, she said the team has already initiated criminal complaint procedures and hired lawyers to pursue civil litigation against the security company involved. “We are in democratic countries, and the rule of law is our foundation of confidence.”
Regarding the apparent advance deployment of security measures and increased on-site precautions by Chinese diplomatic missions in recent incidents, Su Yutong believes this is related to the development of the “Path of Light”campaign this year.
Plans to expand to 267 Chinese missions
She said that in early June, the team officially named the project the “Path of Light Movement” and announced plans to expand it to 267 Chinese diplomatic missions around the world.
“They know that we will not stop after a brief effort, but are prepared to continue advancing this campaign over the long term. Therefore, they will treat preventing projection activities as a routine security measure.”
She cited the Berlin operation as an example, saying that the team observed newly deployed security measures around the embassy, with multiple security personnel carrying high-powered flashlights and continuously scanning the surrounding area in an attempt to locate projection sites.
Su Yutong expects that Chinese diplomatic missions in some countries may adopt stronger preventive measures against future projection campaigns, such as deploying powerful flashlights, obstructing equipment, and using other countermeasures.
However, she believes that these changes do not mean that Chinese diplomatic missions are in a stronger position.
“These countermeasures do not demonstrate their strength; instead, they reveal a form of passive response. Once removed from the environment of an authoritarian system, their original mechanisms for maintaining stability cannot fully function in democratic countries,” she said.
She said that, in the team’s view, “Path of Light” is not only a political art projection campaign, but also an experiment in public space and freedom of expression within democratic societies.
“We hope that through these projections, more people will pay attention to those in China who are unable to speak freely. At the same time, we want the public to observe how public authority and social rules operate under a democratic system,” she said.
Regarding concerns over whether repeated obstruction would affect the movement’s development, Su Yutong said that the Berlin team had already demonstrated that activists can continuously adapt their strategies in response to new forms of obstruction.
She noted that after the German team’s original plan to project images outside the Chinese Embassy was blocked, they redesigned their approach within two days and successfully carried out the action. When sharing the results, they wrote: “There is always a projection method suitable for the Chinese Embassy in Germany.”
She believes that stronger countermeasures by Chinese diplomatic missions will not prevent the movement from developing; instead, they will encourage the team to continue innovating its methods.
“This creates more tension and is more likely to attract young people to participate than simply completing a projection without any challenges,” she said.
She revealed that young activists from more countries have recently taken the initiative to contact the team. In the next phase, “Path of Light” plans to further expand to additional countries.
“This project has not deviated from its original direction and mission,” she said. “We hope to become a matchstick that ignites the courage, creativity, and capacity for action of more people.”
