Protests are taking place outside Chinese embassies and consulates around the world—after the Hong Kong government effectively forced Shen Yun Performing Arts to cancel its upcoming shows there.

Shen Yun is a Chinese dance and music company that has performed in dozens of cities around the world.

But last week, the Hong Kong Immigration Department had denied entry visas to several of the company’s key production staff. The last-minute denial came less than a week before the sold-out shows were set to begin. And that left little time for legal appeal.

Shen Yun Stage Manager Gregory Xu was among those whose visas were denied. He spoke about it at a press conference in New York on Monday.

[Gregory Xu, Shen Yun Performing Arts Stage Manager]:
"This is my first encounter with the Hong Kong government. They used delay tactics. We could say they used a very despicable method. At the last moment, in the last few days, they refused visas for our crucial technical staff, in order to reach their aim of not allowing us to enter Hong Kong."

Protests over the visa refusal are now taking place around the world.

On Saturday, protestors held a demonstration outside the Chinese Consulate in Munich, Germany.

And on Monday, there was a similar protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Canada.

In London, one woman at a protest there says her friends in mainland China had already purchased tickets to see the Hong Kong show.

[Ms. Gao]:
"The Chinese government must have put a lot of pressure on the Hong Kong government, who could only have done such a thing under their directive. I hope that the Hong Kong government can adhere to the principle of 'one country two systems,' and withstand the pressures of the Chinese communist government."

Protestors in London held a banner saying the Chinese Communist Party was behind the visa denials in Hong Kong.

Shen Yun's mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture, which has been suppressed under the Chinese Communist Party. Some of its performances also touch on the Communist Party's persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. And that could be why the Communist Party may want to suppress the show in Hong Kong.

Shen Yun Performing Arts was set to perform in Hong Kong from January 27th through the 31st. All seven shows had sold out within a week after the box office opened.