Uighurs accuse Beijing of oppressing them, in part by forcibly detaining many of their community in re-education camps where they're subjected to Chinese state propaganda.
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Thousands of Uighurs have rallied outside the European Commission to press Brussels into taking action against China whom they accuse of oppressing them.
Uighurs are Muslim Turkic people who live near to China's border with Central Asia.
The President of the World Uyghur Congress accused China of sending Uighurs to re-education camps.
"Today about 1 million Uyghurs are held in camps against their will. If we are here it is to make our voice heard and to demand the help of the European authorities to convince China to release these imprisoned people. There are tens of thousands of children whose parents are locked up in these camps," Rebiya Kadeer told Euronews.
According to a Human Rights Watch report China has forcibly detained thousands of Uighurs in the past year and subjected them to propaganda promoting Chinese identity.
The group has cited cases where whole families, including children, have been held for months in re-education camps.