We’ve seen a lot of dangerous signs from folks on the left wanting to move us to a more radical control by the state, such as we see in Communist countries like China. It’s been a steady move of institutions in the direction of the far left that has been accelerated under Joe Biden. But we’re not there yet–and many people on the right are fighting against that move.

But even as we fight against it, we’re not paying enough attention to the influence of the Chinese government in this country. We all got a good taste of that influence in 2019, when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had the temerity to care about human rights in Hong Kong, and China oppressing the people there. We saw how “freedom of speech” was suddenly met with “we must bow to the Chinese government,” because so many entities in this country–including the NBA and Hollywood– have become inextricably tied up with China and its financial influence.

China has been making all kinds of moves, including buying up land around our military installations, and it’s as if the Biden team is asleep at the switch. Or okay with it all, because of Biden’s ties to China. Alleged National Security Council guy John Kirby didn’t even think it was something with which he should be concerned; he seemed puzzled that he was even asked about it.

Reporter: China is buying up land near U.S. military bases. Is this on the administration’s radar?

Co-Press Secretary John Kirby: That’s “a little out of my swim lane.”

Reporter: “This is a national security issue.”

Kirby: “I’m not the right person to ask about this.” pic.twitter.com/UjJqcPFtQ8

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 13, 2022

We’re even seeing troubling things like the Chinese government opening up police stations to monitor Chinese citizens in various countries, including one in New York City.

But one of the areas where that influence is holding a lot of sway is in academia. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted this in 2021.

WATCH: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls out academia, corporate media, Hollywood, and big tech for ties to the Chinese Communist Party:

"There is no single entity that exercises a more pervasive, nefarious influence across a wide range of American institutions than the CCP." pic.twitter.com/afU2kA1hjN

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 7, 2021

You would think that here, in the land of the free, we would have freedom of speech in academia. But, we’ve seen, with leftist influence, how that has greatly changed over the past few years.

Now, Chinese students who are studying in the United States are calling out being spied on at an American university — George Washington University. The students posted a “Battle Cry for Freedom – A Big Character Poster,” which was a bit like a Declaration of Independence and a reflection on moments in history where protesters called out the Chinese government. It called on universities to stand up for their freedom of speech and protect their rights from CCP proxies. It also called for divestment from entities connected to the Chinese government or the CCP.

“A Battle Cry For Freedom”.

Read it here. pic.twitter.com/BmVCEBAPgR

— Athenai Institute (@athenaiinst) October 4, 2022

Unfortunately, today, even on American campuses, Chinese students do not enjoy their fundamental human right to freedom of speech, expression, or assembly. Whether in class, in student organizations, or on social media, Chinese students are under the constant surveillance of the police state which operates through a network of spies and informants in organizations directly connected to the Chinese embassy such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) to intimidate Chinese students with the threat of violence against them and their families. As such, in a desperate attempt to exercise our fundamental human right to free speech, we have decided to follow in the footsteps of conscientious Chinese students throughout history, and publish our own big character poster.

The response? The posters were ripped down.

It's bad enough that @GWtweets doesn't provide a safe environment for Chinese students to exercise their freedom of speech. It’s even worse that they’re being actively censored. All over campus, these posters are being torn down. https://t.co/DIPsFuYmhc pic.twitter.com/mTMLhRLZen

— Athenai Institute (@athenaiinst) October 6, 2022

How shameful is it that they can’t speak freely on an American college campus? They are risking much to fight for free speech and even here — in the land of the free — a foreign government is holding enough sway to stop that. It should be very concerning that there are Chinese “spies” operating on campuses. It isn’t only about protecting freedom of speech, but about shining a big spotlight and calling out the insidious nature of such spying in our own country.

Paging the “Big Guy.” But, he doesn’t seem to care about such things. We do.