London: Tibetans and supporters commemorated the 66th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day across Northern Europe with protests in front of the Chinese Embassies in London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Vilnius; and an interfaith prayer ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland.

In London, the day began with the annual Tibetan National Flag Raising event at the Town Hall of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Linda Bird, and Representative Tsering Yangkey jointly raised the Tibetan national flag in the presence of Deputy Leader Councillor Averil Lekau, Councillor David Garnder, local Tibetans and friends of Tibet. The flag-raising was accompanied by Tibetans singing the Tibetan national anthem and commemorative songs. Gathering inside the Mayor’s office following the flag-raising, Councillor Bird expressed her admiration for the resilience of the Tibetan community and the rich Tibetan culture. Representative Yangkey thanked the Royal Borough for raising the Tibetan flag to commemorate Tibetan National Uprising Day annually since 2015. She urged the Mayor and the Councillors to consider an official Motion, Resolution or Statement declaring the upcoming 90th Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a Day of Compassion and to co-host events with the Tibetans living in the borough to mark the milestone.

At the official commemoration in Indian YMCA, Hon’ble Chris Law, MP and Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet in the UK Parliament, and Hon’ble Tim Loughton, former MP and former Co-Chair of the APPG Tibet, joined a packed auditorium to mark Tibetan Uprising Day. Representative Tsering Yangkey read extracts from Kashag’s Statement on the occasion and spoke about the day’s significance in Tibet’s history. Chris Law MP committed to strengthening his support for Tibet in the UK Parliament. Tim Loughton reassured his continued support for Tibet. They both recalled their 2018 meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala. Speaking about the current status of the Tibet movement in the UK, John Jones, Head of Campaigns, Policy & Research, Free Tibet, remarked that despite some challenges, the path forward was optimistic given the new generation of young Tibetan leaders, effective collaborations across different campaign groups and the increasing support among the parliamentarians with the launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet in the current parliament. He dispensed practical advice to the Tibetan youth in their advocacy for Tibet. The official commemorative event featured other speeches, including by the Chairperson of the Tibetan Community in Britain and commemorative songs performed by Tibetan community members.

Earlier in the day, at Whitehall, opposite 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK’s Prime Minister, Tibetans and Tibet supporters gathered for a static protest. Hon’ble Norman Baker, former Minister and Member of Parliament; Luke de Pulford, Executive Director, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China; Mandie McKeown, Executive Director, International Tibet Network, and Kunsang Tsephel, Campaigns and Youth Coordinator, Tibetan Community in Britain, delivered speeches to set the tone for the protest march.

A couple of hundred people, Tibetans and friends of Tibet, marched through the London streets from Whitehall to the Chinese Embassy in Portland Place, accompanied by loud slogans highlighting atrocities China continues to commit in Tibet, drawing the attention of Londoners. Another round of speeches in front of the Chinese Embassy saw representatives from different groups, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, Taiwanese and Southern Mongolians, join and express their solidarity with the Tibetan people.

The 66th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day was thus commemorated across Northern Europe with protests to remind the Chinese government that Tibetan resilience is as strong as ever.

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, Tibet Solidarity, working with the Cross-Party Group for Tibet in the Scottish Parliament, organised an interfaith prayer ceremony at the Peace Cairn to commemorate all the Tibetans who were killed in the 1959 Tibetan uprising and those who have given their lives for Tibet or died as a result of Chinese oppression in the decades since. Ross Greer, MSP and Chair of the CPGT gave a short address at the ceremony and laid the first flowers at the cairn.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, London