Protests and Petitions CAN make a difference in Tibet!

(from 09 Apr 2008)

Protests and Petitions CAN make a difference in Tibet! Updates:

I. "Paris protests force cancellation of torch relay:
Security officials call off final section after huge pro-Tibet demonstrations.

PARIS - Paris’ Olympic torch relay descended into chaos Monday, with protesters scaling the Eiffel Tower, grabbing for the flame and forcing security officials to repeatedly snuff out the torch and transport it by bus past demonstrators yelling "Free Tibet!" The relentless anti-Chinese demonstrations ignited across the capital with unexpected power and ingenuity, foiling 3,000 police officers deployed on motorcycles, in jogging gear and even inline skates. Chinese organizers finally gave up on the relay, canceling the last third of what China had hoped would be a joyous jog by torch-bearing VIPs past some of Paris’ most famous landmarks…"

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23978408/

II. - Obama urges Bush to consider Beijing boycott
Candidate falls short of Clinton position, but says keep option 'on the table'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24039876

- Torch kept from demonstrators, rushed away
Original route shortened; flame taken to airplane, skips closing ceremony
Gere joins Olympic Torch protests
April 9: At a protest in San Francisco, actor Richard Gere says he believes China will one day regret their actions toward Tibet.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24024416/
 
III. from John Ackerly, President of International Campaign for Tibet:

"Nearly everyday a new story of brutality in Tibet surfaces as the Tibetan people of Tibet stand up for their rights. Chinese soldiers and police continue to arrest, interrogate and torture Tibetans, including Buddhist monks and nuns. We know just last week eight Tibetans were killed in eastern Tibet after police fired into a crowd of several hundreds monks and laypeople protesting the "patriotic education" by the Chinese government as they visit Buddhist monasteries and demand monks to denounce the Dalai Lama. We are asking President Bush to take a stand for the Tibetan people and not attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics.

For more than 50 years the Tibetans have suffered at the hands of the Chinese government. Today a climate of fear pervades Tibet. As the Tibetans stand up to China, the Chinese authorities have stepped of their campaign demanding the Tibetans denounce the Dalai Lama leading to increased resentment creating a viscous cycle. It’s time the violence and intimidations tactics stop. The Chinese government must resolve this conflict peacefully and begins a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
Your voice is essential. We must keep the pressure on world leaders and ensure we know the truth inside Tibet. Tourists have been asked to leave. Journalists have been forced out of Tibet leaving China without witnesses to their strong-armed and deadly tactics."

IV. What YOU can do:

- if the Olympic torch is coming to your city, go down and join the protests.
Here is a map and itinerary of its progress: http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/journey/map

- many cities are having pro-Tibet or anti-China rallies on their own. Find yours and join in.

- Go to the ICT website http://www.savetibet.org/ and click on Take Action!
You can donate your time or money, and sign a petition to your national leader.
Protests and Petitions CAN make a difference in Tibet!