Tibet supporters and Tibetans stage protest at the G20 summit

By Tsering Wangdue / November 20, 2014;

A 12 by 16 inches banner raised in front of the iconic Story Bridge in Brisbane City close from Xi’s hotel
Photo: Tibetanreview

Tibetans and Tibet supporters in Australia staged a protest in Brisbane when Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to Australia to attend the G20 summit on November 14.

The protesters, led by the Australia Tibet Council (ATC), Students for Free Tibet (SFT) and other local Tibetan communities, raised a banner hung between two large black balloons which read “China Fails Human Rights. G20 Unite for Tibet”.

The protest organiser Kyinzom Dhonghue said that the protesters want to urge world leaders to stand by their democratic values. She said they should unite for Tibet and stand up against the authoritarian state of China that continues to oppress Tibetans.

The banner was hung from cliffs at New Farm, by the Brisbane River, close to Xi’s hotel, and without official police permission. “The banner was displayed at New Farm as it was not allowed within the G20 declared zone in Brisbane’s centre” said Kyinzom.

Lothon, one of the protesters from ATC, said that the G20 event was an opportunity to highlight the plight of Tibetans like him who cannot return to their home country, and to put pressure on world leaders. Lothon escaped from Tibet 25 years ago.

Students for Free Tibet staged a “mock die-in” on the following day, at a major road intersection in Brisbane, to demonstrate solidarity with those who have sacrificed their life for freedom in Tibet.

Ms Jeffery-Kingston, who is a member of the nearby Southern Cross University chapter of SFT, says that Australia is one of China’s strongest economic partners and it is important to pressure the Australian government to begin a conversation about Tibet, and to call China out on its Human Rights atrocities in Tibet.

Cycle rally in New Delhi
Photo: SFT

The regional chapter of SFT in India also staged a G20 summit protest. They organised a cycle rally at the north campus of Delhi University.

The G20 summit began in 1999 as an annual meeting of financial ministers and central bank governors following the Asian financial crises. This evolved in 2008, after the global financial crisis, as a summit of the countries’ leaders. The G20 consist of 19 countries and The European Union, and aims to deepen economic co-operation and strengthen global economy.