Vienna: Tibetan diaspora protests outside Chinese embassy on 65th National Uprising Day

Members of the Tibetan diaspora, under the umbrella of Tibetan Community Organisation in Vienna, along with Voluntary Tibet Advocacy Groups (V-TAGs), Austria, staged a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Vienna on Sunday over the occupation of Tibet by China.

To raise their voice against Chinese oppression, the Tibet diaspora turned up in large numbers and commemorated the 65th Tibetan National Uprising Day.

According to an official statement, around 200 protesters carried Tibetan flags and posters highlighting the atrocities and genocidal actions committed by China in Tibet.

They raised slogans like “Tibet belongs to Tibetans!”, “Long live the Dalai Lama!”, “Tibet was never a part of China,” and “China should leave Tibet” during this protest.

Austrian politician and member of the Vienna State Parliament and Vienna City Council, Dolores Bakos, also joined the protest with the banner “Free Tibet.”

Speaking in the protest, Dolores Bakos expressed the solidarity of the Austrian people with the cause of Tibet and mentioned that her party would continue to stand for Tibet and would work with the Tibetan Diaspora in Austria to get justice for Tibet and make China accountable in international forums.

She also mentioned concerns about the present humanitarian situation in Tibet, where cultural and religious rights of the Tibetans are being violated and their identity is being erased under the pretext of the development of dams.

According to the statement, Bakos is from the New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) political party of Austria. The Members of Parliament from NEOS have recently moved a resolution in the Austrian Federal Parliament condemning the Chinese action of forcefully relocating Tibetan children to boarding schools. This resolution is now under the consideration of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Austrian Federal Parliament.

This protest was followed by a rally by around 200 Tibetan Diaspora members from the Chinese Embassy in Vienna to the Stephanplatz.