Tibetan uprising day 2013: Edinburgh Demonstration.

March 10th: Take to the streets, Join the resistance.

*EDINBURGH MASS DEMONSTRATION + DIRECT ACTION* 

stand in solidarity with courageous Tibetan people, resisting 54 years of systematic repression, persecution, and cultural genocide.

March 10th commemorates the Tibetan uprising of 1959 where an estimated 430,000 Tibetans were killed by the invasion of the Chinese military and one hundred thousand Tibetans fled with Dalai Lama into exile in India. This explosion of resistance was crushed by the onslaught of Military forces and led to the Chinese occupation of the Tibetan nation.

On this day every year there is an explosion of Tibetan resistance and mass protests inside Tibet, resulting in severe crackdowns by the Chinese and widespread brutality.

10.3.13

The bitter Edinburgh winds sent shivers down the spines of protesters, setting a reminder of the sobering reason for our march. As the wind howled across the square, we knew the turbulence of the weather reflected the scenes of the crisis in Tibet.

The reality of this crisis was made all too real when protesters were called forward to stand with images of Tibetan who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and ended their life in flames. The wind slowed to a quiet murmur as we read out the chilling testimony of sangay dolma, a 17 year old nun who is one of the 107 self-immolations in Tibet. The silence echoed an unspoken message, a shared consensus from every individual in the crowd; what is happening to the Tibetan people is fundamentally wrong, and the world must know.

In an age where Free markets have become substitutes for Freedom of speech and peace is measured by the state's profit, what shone out from the frosty demonstration was how much we have to learn about peace from the Tibetan martyrs.

The Tibetan national anthem broke the silence of the crowd and blasted a chorus of defiance through the heart of Scotland; it was time for us to speak out. Members of Scottish parliament such as Marco Biagi SNP and Alison Johnstone, Green party had their messages of support heard as they rallied on our actions. The cross party group on Tibet  stated, 'those who have the power to make change in this world in The International Community should surely stand up and be counted in solidarity with the people of Tibet, who ask for no more than their right to exist and have a say in the future of their country.' Above all our speakers aimed to deliver a message of peace, one that we were all fighting for. 

Marco Biagi, SNP speaks out in solidarity for Tibetans.

This message only amplified once we set off on our march to the Chinese Consulate, with protesters full of passion and energy, we shouted out for a Free Tibet to the people of Scotland and demanded that they live with the same rights that we all deserve.Members of the society expressed that the march was both beautiful and shocking. Beautiful to see such dedication, courage, passion, and solidarity people showed today as they united, from all over the UK, for Tibet. Our society felt honored to march along the streets with such inspiring, tenacious people.

150 supporters strong in the heart of Edinburgh.

What shocked us began at the consulate. We cried out in defiance at the consulate doors, being ushered to the back of the building by the authorities that guided our actions. It became all too clear that those in the free world must change our perceptions on what we deem as violent. The systematic persecution and cultural genocide of Tibetans in their home country arises nothing from the sentiments of our authorities  and yet a lone Tibetan protester in Scotland can become branded a criminal if he climbs the gate of the consulate walls to hang a flag of his nation on their door. However, this is not what alarmed us the most.

In the blink of an eye, a consulate worker emerged from the door, slicing through a Tibetan flag with a butchers knife before throwing it carelessly in the bin right in front of our eyes. The Tibetan people, who have had to watch their brothers and sisters of the Himalayas suffer through 54 years of repression had to now witness their national symbol being ripped apart in the 'free world'.  

It was shocking to see the same worker, rip apart images of teenagers, who have, and continue to light themselves on fire for freedom. And most shocking of all, was the complete and utter silence. As our demonstrators called for an answer to this cruelty  called for a response, we were sadly met by the steel hard gaze and the anxious barrier of the police force. People not capable of looking us in the eye as they shoved images of self immolation back in our faces, only to hit the ground, with nothing but the painful, impenetrable silence.

But over 150 people on the streets of Edinburgh today proved that we will break the silence. No matter how small we are, we are backed by the truth. And that is all we, and anyone who has ever fought against injustice, ever need. As we were joined by more supporters at the consulate, the sun began to break free from the clouds and new speakers such as James Moohan NUS Scotland, Doris Jones Nations without states and Fiona Lindsey from Tibetan Torture survivor program illuminated the reason we stood there today.

We will live to see the day when tortured prisoners, jailed for practicing their religion, speaking their language, listening to their anthem, daring to hold a picture of their leader, the Dalai Lama, will be free. We will live to see the day when people no longer douse themselves in petrol and give their lives to the flames engulfing their body, for basic human rights. We will live to see a free Tibet. There will be an end to the oppression. There will be an end to the unjust occupation of an independent nation. Because the end, as we have seen in as far back as history will take us, always comes. In times like these, we must remember to not lose hope.

Our passionate supporters at the Chinese Consulate.

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction..”
― Howard Zinn

This is the spirit of Edinburgh University Tibet society. This is the spirit of a team that will not stay silent to the suffering of the oppressed no matter how large the oppressor. This is the values of a team who's actions are inspired by the true warriors fighting on in the Himalayan mountains today. Their cries are the winds we felt howling, their courage is the sun behind the clouds.Bod Gyalo! Tibet WILL be free.

My first organised event: a success!

My first organised event: a success!

Tibet is Burning: Immolations Film Screening and Lecture

When I  joined the Edinburgh University Tibet Society at the beginning of this year, it was a small society of about 4 people. Over the last few months we've built up into a sizable society.

I always felt that the most important thing for us to do was recruit. Actions such as demos and protests could only be effective if there was a large group taking part. At my first Tibet Soc meeting, we watched Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion, a harrowing film which details the oppression suffered by the Tibetan people. I felt that if we could get more people to see this film, then it would be enough to motivate them to take action, and join the society. The DVD can be bought here http://tinyurl.com/cp2da7o , and is worth a watch.

Inspiring

Over the next 3 months, a staggering number of Tibetans set themselves on fire in protest at Chinese policies in Tibet. The majority have died. I realized that this could be used to garner the Tibetan situation more attention. Our president, Amie, had been discussing the possibility of getting Dr. Martin Mills, an anthropology lecturer at Aberdeen University who has conducted extensive research in Tibet, to come and speak to us about this phenomenon. I decided this could be tied in with the film screening, and the ensuing event would attract a lot of students. I asked if I could take this on as a project, and began e-mailing Martin. I knew that it was very important to get as many people as possible to come to this, and began publicizing it. Posters were drawn , e-mails sent, facebook events and groups created, people harassed and a date (the 8th of November) tentatively    proposed.

Things began to fall in to place. The first wave of emails (sent to other university societies and departments) were largely ignored, so I went round every school in the University, trying to get the event publicized on the subject student mailing lists. Secretaries proved difficult to deal with, but after much negotiating I managed to secure the email addresses of around 10,000 students. This was going to be big. I printed the posters, all 300 of them, as well as a 1000 flyers. I bought cardboard, cable ties and spray-on glue to stick the posters up around campus.

Dr. Mills and Amie

In the week before the lecture, I put up around 150 posters. The remaining 150 and the flyers were distributed among the rest of the society, and we assigned different people to them up in different places, canvassing the university. The next 7 days proved mercifully rain-free, and although a large proportion of the posters were taken down (presumably by an irate Nationalist Chinese student; I found a few ripped up) the Society began to have a tangible presence around the University areas of Edinburgh. Whenever I talked about the society to students, they would mention the posters. On the final night before the event, I cycled around the University, chalking an advertisement on walls and pavements: 'Tibet is Burning. Thursday. 7pm. Appleton Tower. Lecture Theatre 2.' When the time for the lecture finally came, I became sure that no one was going to show up. By 7, there were still only a handful of people in the lecture theatre. However, by quarter past Dr. Mills was speaking to over 100 students. In retrospect this was particularly impressive, as there were many other major events happening that night and it coincided with multiple coursework deadlines.

The feeling of satisfaction was incredible. The Society had put so much work into this, and it had paid off. We got about 30 people on to the mailing list, with about 10 people expressing interest in becoming strong members of the society. We got the message of a Free Tibet out to thousands of people, as well as giving the immolations some much-needed publicity. We also showed a very challenging lecture and film to over 100 people, including around 25 Chinese students. I feel the most important thing we can do as a society is try and educate as many Chinese people as possible about the situation in Tibet, as they are the ones who can truly make a difference there.

Bod Gyalo! Tibet will be free.

- E