PRO-TIBET ACTIVISTS HANG BANNER OUTSIDE BEIJING CCTV HEADQUARTERS
August 15, 2008
With the help of three support people, two pro-Tibet activists rapelled from the top of a large Olympic billboard and unfurled a 375 square foot/115 square meter banner in front of Chinese state television’s new headquarters in Beijing early this morning.
The activists dropped the banner, which read “Free Tibet” in English and Chinese, over an Olympics billboard reading “Beijing 2008” at 5:45 am Beijing time. Chinese security officials gathered quickly outside the China Central Television (CCTV) building. After approximately 30 minutes, officials detained the five activists, whose current whereabouts are unknown.
The two climbers were Nicole Rycroft, 41, a Canadian-Australian from Vancouver, BC, Canada and Philip Kirk, 24, a British citizen from Hertfordshire, UK. They were supported by Americans Bianca Bockman, 27, from Hoboken, New Jersey, Sam Maron, 22, from Ossining, New York, and Kelly Osborne, 39, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. See more detailed bios below.
For more information including photos, video, and bios of activists, click here.
TIBET ACTIVISTS HANG BANNER, BLOCKADE BEIJING’S ‘CHINESE ETHNIC CULTURE PARK’ - TIBETAN WOMAN DETAINED ALONG WITH SEVEN OTHERS
August 13, 2008
Five Tibet activists blockaded the front entrance of the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, at the south end of the Olympic Park, at 12:30pm today. The five were behind locked bicycles across the entrance to the park, which prominently features an exhibit of Tibetan culture. They wore t-shirts reading “Free Tibet” and held a banner reading “Tibetans Are Dying for Freedom.” A sixth activist, a Tibetan-Japanese woman, made a statement about what they were doing and the situation on the ground in Tibet.
Nearby, two other activists unfurled a banner over a pedestrian bridge, which read “Free Tibet.”
The two activists at the bridge were immediately detained by security officials. The six outside the park were detained after approximately five minutes. The activists are: Pema Yoko, 25, a Tibetan-Japanese woman resident in the UK; Americans Tom Cohen, 41; Martin Thomas, 36; Jennifer Kirby, 30; Jene DeSpain, 31; James Brady, 41; Bani Campozano, 20; and Jonathan Fox, 29, an Israeli-American. Their present whereabouts are unknown.
Click here for more information about the action.
TIBETAN WOMAN AND FOUR SUPPORTERS PROTEST AT TIANANMEN SQUARE 5 MORE CANADIANS DETAINED IN BEIJING HOTEL
August 10, 2008
Five Tibet activists, including a Tibetan woman from Germany, Padma-Dolma Fielitz, 21, staged a protest today at 3:10pm Beijing time just outside the southern entrance of Tiananmen Square.
Padma-Dolma Fielitz and another activist held the Tibetan national flag aloft. As Chinese security officials tried to wrest the flags away, Padma was seen being dragged across the ground. Shortly after, three other activists attempted to unveil a large banner before being removed by Chinese security officials. The banner read: “Tibetans are dying for freedom.” The protest lasted approximately five minutes. All five protesters were detained by the Chinese authorities and their present whereabouts and status are unknown.
Photos and video footage of the action and the activists’ bios will be available shortly at: http://freetibet2008.org/globalactions/tibetanprotest/
Tibet Protest in Tiananmen Square 08.09.08
August 9, 2008
Beijing – Five Tibet supporters held a dramatic protest in Tiananmen Square early this afternoon, calling for an end to the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet. Four of the activists, lying down and draped in Tibetan national flags, staged a mock die-in with the famous portrait of Mao in the background. A fifth activist spoke about their reason for protesting there today.
View the press release, high-resolution photos, participant bios, and video at http://freetibet2008.org/mediacenter/updates/tsquare/
Free Tibet Activists Raise the Tibetan Flag Prior to Olympic Opening Ceremony; Tackled by Chinese Police
August 8, 2008
At just past 7pm, approximately one hour before the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, two Americans, Jonathan Stribling-Uss, 27, and Kalaya’an Mendoza, 29, and an Argentine-American, Cesar Maxit, 32, staged a symbolic protest near the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. At the last major intersection on Beichen Road leading to the Olympic Park, the three men opened Tibetan national flags. The three men, wearing shirts that read “Team Tibet 08″ were tackled by Chinese security forces within seconds and immediately and forcibly detained; their whereabouts are currently unknown.
CLICK HERE for more information, including a press release, photos and video of the protest, photos and bios of the activists who undertook the protest, and a guide to pronouncing their names.
SFT Kicks Off Global Actions for a Free Tibet
August 7, 2008
Four Students for a Free Tibet activists inaugurated the global actions to speak out for human rights and freedom in Tibet during the Beijing Olympics with a dramatic banner-hang action outside the main Olympic stadium on Wed., Aug. 6th. With a support person each below, two activists scaled two 120 foot-high light poles and unfured 140 square-foot banners, one reading “One World, One Dream: Free Tibet” and the other reading “Tibet Will Be Free” in English and “Free Tibet” in Chinese. The activists were arrested by Chinese authorities, and then deported from China. The daring action instantly grabbed worldwide headlines. From 100 feet above the ground, one of the activists, former SFT UK National Coordinator Iain Thom, left a voicemail recording, declaring, “We’ve taken this action today to highlight the Chinese government’s use of the Beijing Olympics as a propaganda tool to whitewash its human rights record in Tibet.” Tibetans and their supporters held demonstrations and took nonviolent directa action in other cities around the world on Wednesday as well, from San Francisco and Vancouver to London and Brussels to Delhi and Kathmandu. Stay tuned for more!
Olympic Athlete Outreach Campaign: Athlete Wanted!
June 26, 2008
The Athlete Wanted campaign is an effort by Students for a Free Tibet and a coalition of Tibet supporters worldwide, appealing to Olympic athletes to stand in solidarity with Tibetans during the Beijing Olympics.
As part of the campaign, SFT placed a full-page ad (left) in the New York Times, which appeared on July 29th on page A9 [click on the ad to see a larger image]. Please visit www.AthleteWanted.org to see how we’re appealing to athletes to stand up for Tibet.
SFT Launches Olympics Campaign Website: FreeTibet2008.org
June 17, 2008
WELCOME TO STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET’S
NEW OLYMPICS WEBSITE – www.FREETIBET2008.org
To mark the website launch, we’re releasing SFT’s new Olympics campaign video (right). Please watch this powerful 4-minute video about Tibet’s cry for freedom and our Olympic opportunity to make history for Tibet. Please download and share it with your friends and family. And if you are inspired, we hope you’ll consider making a donation to support our ongoing efforts. Together, we will make history for Tibet.
SFT’s Everest Protest: One Year On
May 8, 2008
On the one-year anniversary of SFT’s protest on Mt. Everest Base Camp, Deputy Director Tendor talks about the significance of the current uprising in Tibet around the globe.
