Until then, they had emphasized the multi-ethnic nature of their support, but now their propaganda stressed the khmer identity of the revolution and explicitly warned against other ethnic groups 'splitting' the revolutionary forces. Chinese began to experience discrimination; they fearfully hid their Chinese identity whenever possible, and Chinese associations disappeared from GRUNK areas. This mono-ethnic policy led to the extreme repression instigated after the khmer rouge came to power in April 1975 as Democratic Kampuchea.