Gathering at 9.30 am at Schuman circle
11.30 – start of the procession to the Embassy
1 pm – 3 pm – demonstration in front of the Embassy (Avenue de Tervuren, 463, 1160 Brussels)
On Monday, 10 March the Tibetan community in Belgium alongside with Tibet support groups will be leading a procession from the EU External Action Service to the Chinese embassy to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Tibetan national uprising day.
This demonstration is taking place three weeks ahead of President Xi Jinping’s first official visit to Europe, which will bring him to Brussels on 31 March.
Since President Xi came to power a year ago, the situation in Tibet has very much deteriorated in Tibet.
“China’s significant economic growth has not been matched by meaningful progress in rule of law, respect for human rights, democracy and the environment. On the contrary, we see a broadening crackdown and more systematic oppression in mainland China, Tibet as well as in Xinjiang », said Vincent Metten, EU Policy Director at the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).
Since 2009, 127 Tibetans have committed self-immolations to protest againt Chinese policies in Tibet and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. Today, the crackdown on religious freedom, freedom of speech and association continues unabated in Tibet, with even a new disturbing trend of persecution and criminalization of family members of self-immolators.
With a meeting in front of the European External Action Service at 9.30 a.m. and subsequent peaceful procession to the Chinese embassy on Avenue de Tervuren the Tibetan community calls upon the European Union and its Member States to engage China on the issue of Tibet and help resolve the longstanding Tibetan demand of a genuine and meaningful autonomy for its people.
Mr. Metten said: “The EU must live up to its values also with regard to its policy towards third countries, namely China.” He insisted that the EU needed to address human rights abuses in Tibet in all forms of its bilateral dialogue with China, including at the highest level. “The upcoming first official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Europe at the end of March represents an excellent and timely opportunity for the EU to mainstream the values of human rights and democracy it wishes to promote through its external action. The EU must urge President Xi to improve the worrying human rights situation in Tibet and promptly resume the Sino-Tibetan dialogue,” Mr. Metten added.
On March 10, 1959 the Tibetans in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet rose up against the occupying Chinese forces and held a mass peace protest against Chinese invasion of Tibet and the tyranny that ensued it. Thousands of Tibetans were killed and injured during the mass demonstrations and many more were incarcerated. When the Chinese crackdown began, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet to avoid any physical harm by the Chinese forces. Some eighty thousand Tibetans from all across Tibet followed him into exile in 1959 and the subsequent years to avoid Chinese repression.