Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Washington, Sep 26: More than 3,000 Tibetans gathered in Washington to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the US capital, carrying Tibetan flags and placards with slogans including “Xi Jinping is guilty of genocide” and “Tibet was never a part of China”, according to a report by *The Diplomat*.
The protest on Thursday brought together a wider coalition of Uyghur, Southern Mongolian, Chinese democracy, Taiwanese, Burmese, Falun Gong and Chinese Christian groups. The demonstration coincided with Xi's first state visit to Washington in more than a decade.
The rally, organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) with support from other Tibetan activist organisations, was described by organisers as the largest-ever Tibetan rally in North America.
The protesters called for human rights to be raised during US President Donald Trump's discussions with Xi, the release of political and religious prisoners, and protection of Tibetans' language and culture.
They also demanded repeal of China's new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which came into effect in July and promotes what Beijing describes as a shared sense of identity among China's 56 ethnic groups. Tibetan activists have criticised the law, saying it advances assimilation, while Chinese authorities describe it as a measure promoting ethnic unity.
The demonstration began outside the Chinese Embassy before protesters marched through Washington towards the US Capitol. Police were deployed along the route, with Connecticut Avenue closed to accommodate the march. The protesters passed through Dupont Circle before reaching the Capitol, where several speakers addressed the gathering.
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Representative Jim McGovern joined the rally. McGovern called for human rights to be included in Trump's talks with Xi.
“No Xi in D.C. without human rights,” McGovern told the crowd.
He also criticised Republican lawmakers for declining to support efforts urging the administration to raise human rights concerns with Beijing.
“Are they afraid of Donald Trump? Are they afraid he’ll be offended if they ask him to ask Xi to release prisoners of conscience?” McGovern said, according to *The Diplomat*.
Pelosi expressed solidarity with the protesters, highlighting concerns over human rights in Tibet and calling for the release of people imprisoned for their beliefs.
For several Tibetan protesters, the rally was also influenced by the death of Lobga Rangzen, a longtime Tibetan independence activist who died after self-immolating outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2. Rangzen, 52, had called for Tibetan independence and unity in a final message before his death.
Jigme Ugen, president of the Tibetan National Congress, said the large turnout demonstrated that the Tibetan independence movement remained active.
“This is the biggest gathering, as such, to not just protest Xi Jinping, but also to tell the world and the U.S. government that the Tibetan movement, and the call for Tibetan independence, is still very much alive,” Ugen said, according to *The Diplomat*.
The protest later expanded to include representatives of other groups. Speakers from Uyghur, Taiwanese, Burmese and Hong Kong communities addressed demonstrators at Franklin Park, near the White House.
The protesters' march was also joined by a group of 17 Tibetans who had walked from the UN headquarters in New York beginning September 17. They travelled through Philadelphia before reaching Washington on September 23, coinciding with Xi's arrival in the capital.
Later in the evening, protesters marched towards the White House, where police barricades separated them from another group carrying Chinese flags and supporting Xi. The two groups exchanged slogans and shouted at each other, but no physical confrontation was reported.
The Tibetan organisers said their objective was to ensure that Tibet and human rights remained part of discussions surrounding US-China relations.