Tibetans organise protests against Olympics before Chinese embassy, burn Chinese flag
- In Reports
- 05:15 PM, Feb 04, 2022
- Myind Staff
Around 500 Tibetans marched outside the International Olympic Committee headquarters on Thursday, led by an activist on skis dragging the Chinese flag behind him, to protest against Beijing hosting the Games.
However, on Friday, protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent in the city of Lhasa.
Tibet has been a focal point for protests by activists and international supporters ahead of the start of the Olympic torch relay, scheduled to come through China in May.
Beijing plans for the torch to be carried to the top of Mount Everest and closed its side of the mountain to climbers in a bid to prevent activists from disrupting the relay.
According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, 10 people including two hotel employees and two shop owners were burned to death, but no foreigners were hurt. However, reports of deaths varied and could not be independently confirmed.
But Psurbu Tsering of the Tibetan Association of New York and New Jersey said its members received phone calls from Tibet claiming 70 people had been killed and 1,000 arrested.
In a response to these protests, China's government in Tibet have accused the Dalai Lama's supporters of inciting the unrest and imposed a curfew and ordered people to stay indoors.
On Saturday, Regional Tibet government head Champa Phunstok warned that the authorities will respond forcefully.
"We did not open fire; however, we will deal harshly with these criminals who are carrying out activities to split the nation," he said as quoted by AP.
However, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declined to comment on the protests. Rogge said the human rights issues were not the focus of his group. He added, "We are not an activist organization."
Tibetan demonstrators from across Europe marched the three kilometres from the IOC building in Lausanne to the Swiss city's Olympic Museum, a day before the 2022 Winter Games' opening ceremony in the Chinese capital.
Karma Choekyi, president of the Tibetan community in Switzerland, organised the Lausanne protest. She claimed the Olympics and their financial backers had turned a blind eye to the civil liberties situation in China.
"The Chinese communist regime is empowered and they feel this kind of Games legitimises their right to crack down on the human rights of the people under them," she said.
She added, "We condemn the IOC and the sponsors for making this happen."
There were also demonstrations in other world cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Image credit: Mizzima
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