Each year in early march, Tibetan communities and their supporters around the world come together to mark the day back in 1959 when tens of thousands of Tibetans rose up against what they saw as China’s illegal occupation of their homeland.
The March 10 revolt in Lhasa was swiftly crushed by Chinese forces, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Tibetans, while thousands more, including the Dalai Lama, fled for refuge to India.
The day came to be known as Tibetan Uprising Day, and it symbolizes the Tibetan people’s ongoing struggle for freedom from Chinese rule and the return of the Dalai Lama.
Across Canada, rallies and events to mark the anniversary were held in several cities on or near march 10. In Victoria on March 5, a crowd of about 100 gathered for a rally, with many holding signs reading “Freedon for Tibet,” “50 years of oppression,” and “Tibetans are dying. China, stop the killing.”
The rally began at Centennial Square with speeches by NDP MPs Randall Garrison and Murray Rankin. The crowd then marched to the B.C. Parliament Buildings, where Green Party Leader Elizabeth May gave a speech in which she urged the Chinese regime to “respect Tibet, respect the Dalai Lama, and respect human rights.”
