Tibetans and Supporters Lobby their MPs

 

10 March, London: On a freezing cold March morning, SFT activists from across the UK set off towards London and the House of Commons.  Their aim: to join with other Tibet supporters and take the voice of the Tibetan people to the heart of British politics on the 51^st anniversary of the Lhasa uprising.

This was the UK Tibet coalition’s second annual Mass Lobby of parliament and being an election year it was particularly important.  Members of SFT, Tibet Society, Free Tibet, Tibetan Community in Britain and Tibetan Youth UK came from as far afield as Hull, Bristol and Wales to meet their MPs and pressure them to take two key actions:  call on the British government to establish a consulate in Lhasa and call on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee to hold an enquiry into the government’s engagement with China.

These ‘asks’ are fundamental to improving the UK pressure for human rights and freedom in Tibet, because after 10 years of UK-China Human Rights Dialogue it is clear that our government’s current strategy just isn’t working.  China continues to arrest, torture and execute Tibetans whilst ignoring the feeble protests of foreign governments.  The only way forward is for countries like the UK to take a tough new stance.

And so it was, with a brief stop and the Chinese embassy to mark the anniversary of March 10^th 1950, and at Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath in memory of the innocent victims, our activists arrived at Parliament.  Whilst a group of SFT members braved sub-zero temperatures to set up a protest outside, Tibet supporters began to flood in to the Parliament’s famous Central Lobby to meet their MPs.  Over the next few hours more than 100 activists lobbied their elected members.

As evening drew in and the lobbying wrapped up, numbers at the protest outside parliament swelled and to the cheers of passers by we higlighted our message- we want the British  government to stand up for Tibet!

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