Protests erupted across China’s Inner Mongolia region with thousands of ethnic Mongols angry over the Chinese regime’s new policy to require classes in primary and secondary schools be taught in Mandarin—the official dialect and language spoken by the majority Han ethnicity—and eventually phase out Mongolian as the language of instruction.
Such scenes unfolded in recent days: Dozens of students in blue-and-white uniforms broke through police barricades to boycott school as their parents cheered from the other side. Teachers went on strike, ignoring threats of losing their contract. Artists put on traditional clothing and played traditional instruments on the streets, singing songs in their native tongue. Hundreds signed a petition calling for the policy to be scrapped.
