SFT Breaks Story of Chinese Embassy’s Lies to Canadian Politicians

If the Chinese government is trying to convince the international community of the legitimacy brutally occupying Tibet, lying is kind of mandatory. And when they do a traveling exhibition with black and white photos of the poor suffering Tibetans PRE-invasion juxtaposed with color photos of elated Tibetans POST-invasion, they have to lie, trick and misrepresent the event to get Canadian politicians to attend.

That’s what we found out when we called up some politicians who had attended the Ottawa exhibition opening on May 9th. We quickly learned they they had all been told that this was local Chinese art show, not an extension of China’s propaganda efforts to whitewash their occupation of Tibet.

Read the article to find out the whole story.

Tibetans Stage Die-In at Propaganda Chinese Exhibition

***To see coverage of the protest on  CTV news go to: http://montreal.ctv.ca/ – click to time 8:30 on the CTV News Video Player to see our SFT Canada member Chris Schwartz being interviewed.

The Montreal Tibetan community staged a dramatic die-in outside the Chinese Community Centre on Tuesday, May 5th to protest a Chinese exhibition contrasting Tibet’s supposed feudal past and China’s glorious rule today. Put on by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, this photo exhibition is part of an international series of shows in places like Jordan, Macao, Belarus, New York, Mexico, Japan and of course, Beijing.

Inviting local politicians, scholar and Chinese people, the Chinese government has waged a campaign to convince the Chinese people and the world of the legitimacy of its brutal rule over Tibet. All this grandstanding while they arrest, torture and kill Tibetans who speak out against Chinese rule.

In terms of propaganda, it’s a rather simple scenario, as the exhibit consists of a series of laminated billboards, juxtaposing “the dark era” (literally, in black and white) with the brightness (in colour) of the current era in Tibet.

Yet, it is not so much the photos that are troublesome, as are the subtitles and subtext of the entire episode. On the bottom of one picture of a nomadic Tibetan living in a tent, the visitor is presented the statement whether this tent could even be considered a home. While under another, the visitor is told that in old feudal Tibet, it was the custom to present the Dalai Lama with human blood and intestines on the occasion of his birthday.

Montreal’s Tibetan community and supporters set out to create images which show the true reality of Chinese rule over Tibet. By lying down in the middle of China town and staging a die-in, the community evoked images of the bloody crackdown inside of Tibet that was completely erased from the Chinese exhibition.

We’ve heard rumours that this exhibit is set to travel across the country. We strongly recommend you speak out in opposition to it if it comes to your community in the near future. Feel to contact SFT if you see it in your community, and need some ideas for something creative to counter China’s lies. Reach us at: info@sftcanada.org or visit our website: http://www.sftcanada.org

SFT Montreal Takes on the Chinese Ambassador!

When we first learned that China’s new ambassador to Canada, Lan Lijun, was going to speak in Montréal now – as Tibetans inside of Tibet continue to be brutalised by the Chinese government for resisting its occupation of their homeland – we knew we had to speak out at this event, and we needed to do so loudly. So, we aimed to make an impact at this crucial time.

In first researching the ambassador, it became clear to us that ambassador Lan – newly appointed in the wake of the March 2008 uprising inside of Tibet – has been sent to Canada to attempt to solve China’s “image problem” amongst Canadians. His talk in Montreal is a part of a larger PR offensive which has seen him traveling all over the country to attempt to shore up China’s image, relying on the falsity of attempting to use the prospect of lucrative business contracts to obscure and diminish public criticism of his government’s heavy handedness inside of Tibet.

As members of Montreal’s Tibetan community and their allies protested outside the venue, we entered by a side door.

After a series of salutary introductions – stressing to the business audience the role that China’s government can play in the global bailout – we rose and called the ambassador out on his lies in front of several hundred rather unsuspecting audience members, and were quickly yanked out by the hotel’s security.

Outside, some journalists from inside quickly contacted us for our story, and were impressed by the reaction which we solicited from the audience. Particularly memorable, one remarked that following our interruption

of the ambassador’s remarks and our ejection from his talk, he attempted to get back into the flow of his prepared remarks by attempting to crack, what appeared to be, a sick joke. Yet when he opined that, “I have no idea what she was talking about,” an awkward silence ensued from the shocked audience members. No one laughed at the ambassador, and instead a sense of disbelief and shock at his insensitivity rose from the audience members.

Later on, a few even came out to see us protesting outside and to thank us for speaking out in solidarity with Tibetans inside of Tibet. An afternoon well spent.

Media coverage of the protest: Le Respect de la Difference

Chris Schwartz and Arianne Gravel
SFT Montreal.

Tibet Activists Takes Over Calgary on March 10th!

Members of the Tibetan community and SFT Calgary had three great events all around the city to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising.

First they painted two rocks on the U of Calgary campus with the Tibetan flag and “Free Tibet” slogans. It is U of Calgary tradition to allow students to use these campus icons to deliver a wide variety of messages and announcements to the student body and campus visitors.

Next they had a Freeze for Tibet protest at TD Mall (center of Calgary) – “this was a particularly effective protest!” according to SFT Calgary organizer Pam.

Finally, they had a demonstration at the Chinese Consulate!

Thanks and great work Calgary activists!

50th Anniversary Protests Rock the Streets of Canada

Tibetans Rally Across Canada, Lobby MPs

Canada Concerned with Human Rights in Tibet

VANCOUVER – after the mayor named March “Tibet Month,” members of the Tibetan community and supporters had a gathering in front of the art gallery on March 8th. SFT members set up a letter writing booth to political representatives. Over a hundred letters were signed by Vancouverites who walked by!

CBC News Coverage (Click on “CBC News Vancouver Sunday, Watch LIVE”)

Protest in Vancouver over Chinese Rule of Tibet

Mar 8 Opening Ceremony

TORONTO - Nearly 1,000 protesters marched from Parkdale, the heart of the Tibetan community, to the Chinese Consulate. Speakers include MPP Cheri DiNovo and Chinese activist Sheng Xue.

Toronto Tibetans Mark Uprising

OTTAWA – On March 9th, some 40 Tibetans and supporters gathered on Parliament Hill for the first ever Tibet Lobby Day. We met with some 30 MPs and staff members to urge the Canadian government to pursue multilateral talks with Tibet, China and Western democracies for substantive negotiations to resolve the Tibet issue. We also urged political leaders to push China to immediately end their crackdowns inside Tibet and release political prisoners. Another key ask was for the Canadian government to address the unethical activities of Canadian companies, especially mining companies in Tibet.

During question period, MP Gerrary Kennedy, representative of over 3,000 Tibetans from the Parkdale -High Park riding made a statement to recognize the Tibetan National Uprising Day and called on the government to take action for Tibet.

Meeting with Parliamentary Friends of Tibet

Lobby group meeting with Prime Minister's staff

Lobby group meeting with NDP leader Jack Layton and MP Paul Dewar

On the next day, around 400 Tibetans and supporters from Toronto, Belleville, Kingston, Montreal and Ottawa commemorated March 10th with a spirited rally from Parliament Hill to the Chinese Embassy. Speakers included representatives from every major political party in Canada including the Conservatives, Liberals, Green Party, NDP and Bloc Quebecois.