Protest outside the Chinese embassy in London
Twice a day I ride past the Chinese embassy in London. It isn’t well marked so you would never know it was there if it weren’t for the permanent peaceful protest by supporters of Falun Gong. They are ticked off that their government imprisons them and sells their internal organs before they have finished using them. The other give away is the cop with a machine gun across the road.
Tonight the usual one or two man protest was slightly larger as about a hundred people turned up to protest the deaths of a number of protesters in Tibet. Naturally there was a much larger number of police with automatic weapons. The good news is that we live in a democracy where civil rights are protected by the law and the police don’t gun people down in the street who disagree with the government.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I, too, thought I lived in a democracy where police don’t gun down people in the street for disagreeing with their government. That was prior to May 4, 1970.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Fair enough. I am attaching a link to the Wikipedia page for the Kent State Shootings.
The history of fighting for freedom has cost the lives of many idealistic students, and a few who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
March 25th, 2008 at 11:08 am
You dont know me but this is particulary close to my heart. This is the best chance the Tibetan’s have had since China’s invasion nearly 60 years ago to release the grip of control and try and prevent any further “Cultural Genocide”.
I could rant on for hours about what the Chinese have done but I’ll keep this one short. Please sign the petition below.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK
Now, with the world watching what it has ignored for the last 50 years, and China increasingly embroiled in the World Economy, there is a real chance we can at least make a start at making a change.
“The greatest waterfalls once started with a single drop of rain” and……….
“Whatever you do will feel insignificant and it is very important that you do it - Gandhi”
Please forward my email to your friends.
Lizzy Barry - London
March 25th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I have already signed and forwarded to my entire address book.
As one of my mates commented … who gave these people an Olympics?
March 26th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I have just got back from Easter in Northern Ireland and I should mention that Paul was more right than I realised at the time. The British also have a recent history of shooting protesters http://www.flickr.com/photos/hubbers/2362072893/
March 27th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Dear friends,
We reached our target! In just 7 days over 1 million of us have signed the petition calling for human rights and dialogue in Tibet–the fastest growing internet petition in history. As the crisis continues, it’s time to deliver our petition and make sure Chinese President Hu Jintao hears our voices.
An International Day of Action has been declared for Monday, March 31st. On Monday, thousands of people in cities across the world will march to Chinese embassies and consulates, and stack hundreds of boxes containing our petition outside them. 1 million signatures makes a mountain of boxes–it will send a powerful global message.
We have just 4 days left until the petition delivery. Could we get to 2 million signatures in 4 days? We can do it–if every one of us recruits at least one more friend to sign the petition by forwarding the email below.
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Dear friends,
After decades of repression, the Tibetan people are crying out to the world for change. The Olympic spotlight is now on China, and Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama is calling to end all riots and violence through restraint and dialogue.
China’s hardliners are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama–but many Chinese leaders believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. The government is right now considering a crucial choice between repression and dialogue that could determine Tibet’s–and China’s–future.
We can affect this historic choice–President Hu Jintao values China’s reputation, and he needs to hear from us that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he chooses dialogue over the hardliners’ repression. An avalanche of global people power is moving to get his attention. In just one week, over 1 million people have signed our petition, which will be delivered in rallies at Chinese embassies worldwide on Monday–click below to join the global outcry, and then forward this email to friends and family right away:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/71.php/?cl=67042496
China’s economy is dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability–some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.
The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak–we must help them be heard.
With hope and respect,
Ricken, Pascal, Graziela, Iain, Paul, Galit, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team
Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:
Reuters reports unrest continues:
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSPEK369654
China allows first journalists back into Lhasa, monks speak out:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/local%20news/tibet/2008/03/27/149167/Tibet-monks.htm
Europe and the US step up calls for dialogue:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/27/europe/27europe.php
Prominent Chinese Intellectuals call for fair approach to Tibet:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/24/asia/chinasub.php
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