66th Tibetan Uprising Day - Den Haag

Met veel enthousiasme kijken we terug op een zonovergoten editie van de Europe Stands with Tibet rally. Op maandag 10 maart 2025 kwamen we met duizenden Tibetanen en supporters uit heel Europa samen in Den Haag. We herdachten de 66ste verjaardag van de Tibetaanse Volksopstand van 1959 met een uitgebreid en divers programma.

Met een flink vertegenwoordigde Belgische delegatie  - met bussen uit Oostende, Antwerpen en Brussel - trokken we met zo'n 3.500 Tibetanen en activisten doorheen de stad en richting de Chinese ambassade om de bezetting, culturele genocide en schending van de mensenrechten in Tibet en China zichtbaar te maken.

Daarnaast werd deze editie aangevuld met muziek, inspirerende talks en enkele special guests. Dankjewel aan de fantastische organisatie van International Campaign for Tibet Europe, Students for a Free Tibet NL, de Tibetan community in Nederland en Tibet Support Groep Nederland. Samen met onze vrienden van Tibetan Community in Belgium, RTYC Belgium, TWA Belgium en V-TAG Belgium stonden we met Lungta mee op de barricades.

Altijd in solidariteit met Free Tibet en samen met het International Tibet Network onderschreven we volgende boodschap:

Today, 10th March, we, Tibetans and supporters, stand united in commemorating the 66th
anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising. This day marks not only the brutal crackdown
against the Tibetan people but also the enduring spirit of Tibetan resistance.
On the 10th of March 1959, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans rose up in protest against the
occupying Chinese army that invaded Tibet by force in 1950. They gathered in the streets of the
capital, Lhasa, to protect His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who they feared was in danger of
abduction or assassination.

The mass uprising was followed by a brutal crackdown by the Chinese government, both in the city
and across Tibet, claiming tens of thousands of lives. The 14th Dalai Lama was forced to flee into
exile, where he has remained ever since.

For 66 years, the Tibetan people have faced relentless oppression, the systematic erosion of their
culture, the suppression of religious freedom, and the denial of fundamental human rights.
Today, seven decades later, Tibet remains under brutal occupation and in February 2025, it scored
zero out of a hundred for ‘freedom’, scoring lower than North Korea, Sudan and Gaza.
Yet, the resolve for freedom in Tibet has never wavered.

We honour the brave men and women who rose up in Lhasa in 1959 and all those who have since
sacrificed for the Tibetan cause. We remember those who have lost their lives, those who endured
imprisonment, and those who continue to resist within Tibet.
The Tibetan struggle is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. We will not be
silenced. We will not be defeated. We will continue to resist until justice and freedom prevail in
Tibet.

We call upon the international community to stand in solidarity with the Tibetan people and to hold
the Chinese government accountable for its actions.

Bod Gyalo.

Foto's (c) LUNGTA - Actief voor Tibet