DHARAMSHALA: More than 27 Tibetan Community Associations based across Europe will organise European Solidarity Rally for Tibet in Brussels on the occasion of the 54th Tibetan National Uprising Day on 10 March. Organisers expect about 5,000 Tibetans and friends of Tibet from different parts of Europe to take part in the rally.
 
The rally aims to express solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet, and garner concrete action from the European Union to persuade China to resolve the problem of Tibet through dialogue.  
 
A grand peace march will start from Gare du Nord at 11.30 a.m and will culminate at Le Mont des Arts in Brussels city centre, where a mass rally will be held throughout the afternoon (1.30/2 pm). A wide range of speakers from the Central Tibetan Administration, the European Parliament and prominent personalities from Europe will address the rally. The dignitaries who will address the rally include  Belgium; Mr Thomas Mann, President of the Tibet Intergroup, Member of European Parliament; Mr Leonidas Donskis, Member of the European Parliamen; Mr Marc Hendrickx, Member of the Flemish Parliament; Mr Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan parliament in exile and Kalon Dicki Chhoyang of the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration.
 
Other higglights of the event include an address by Ms Mona Tang, Chinese writer, artist and human rights defender, and songs by Tibetan artistes.  
 
On 7 and 8 March, young Tibetan activists and friends of Tibet will engage in lobbying at the European Parliament to apprise them of the current situation inside Tibet and to call upon them to engage in practical steps to support the issue of Tibet.  
 
“We greatly value the support and are deeply grateful for the expression of concern, support and solidarity by the European Union. However, what has been lacking so far are sustained and coordinated efforts with a clear political strategy and agenda. The EU-China Human Rights dialogue has failed to produce any tangible results in the past 17 years since the start of this dialogue in 1995. During this period the human rights situation in China in general and particularly in Tibet has worsened significantly,” the organisers said in their press release on 4 March.
 
They will urge the EU to press China to review its failed hardline policies in Tibet and address the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people by resolving the issue of Tibet through dialogue.
 
They will called on the EU to urge China to allow unfettered access to Tibet for the media, the United Nations and International fact-finding delegations to investigate and report on the real causes behind the self-immolations;
 
They will also appeal to the EU to instruct EU Special Representative for Human Rights to seek access to Tibet and to undertake a fact-finding mission to Tibetan areas on a priority basis;
 
They will reiterate their request to appoint an EU Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs with the primary task of encouraging and facilitating a dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government with the aim of finding a mutually acceptable peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet.