Canberra: Tibetan communities across Australia and New Zealand held protests on 1 July as China’s “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law” came into effect, raising concern over its far-reaching impact on Tibetan culture, language and identity.

In Sydney, Tibetan community members and supporters held a rally at Martin Place, where speakers from Tibetan, Uyghur and human rights groups called for protections for minority rights in China and urged the Australian government to oppose and repeal the so-called China’s “Ethnic Unity and Progress” law.

Protesters later gathered outside the Sydney Chinese consulate, carrying placards and chanting slogans opposing the Ethnic Unity law and calling for protection of Tibetan language, culture and religious freedoms in Tibet.

In Canberra, members of the Australia Tibet Council and nearby Tibetan communities protested outside the Chinese Embassy. Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile member Kalsang Tsering and Chinese liaison officer of the Tibet Office in Canberra, Dawa Sangmo, highlighted the catastrophic implications of the law in Tibet, and its reach over the diaspora for silencing critics, advocates and members of the Tibetan and other communities.

Further demonstrations were also held in Melbourne and Brisbane, where participants raised concerns over cultural assimilation, legalised repression and the erosion of Tibetan identity.

The Australian Government, through a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), confirmed that it had raised concerns over the law directly with China and at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

In New Zealand, Tibetan community members gathered outside the Chinese Consulate in Auckland, calling on their government to oppose the law, support an international investigation and strengthen protections against transnational repression.

– Report filed by Office of Tibet, Canberra