Beijing: Olympics Billboard Banner - Aug. 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. The activists have all been deported and are safely back in their home countries.
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.
Digital Media
Download High-Resolution Still Photos courtesy of Students for a Free Tibet: TibetOlympicsBillboardProtestAugust15.zip (10MB) or view the Flickr Photoset
Download Video of Banner Deployment:
MPEG-4 Video Direct or Video Zip Archive (10MB)
Listen to audio recordings recorded by two of the activists on their mobile phones immediately after being detained: Nicole Rycroft and Bianca Bockman (MPEG-4 files). Download both audio files.
View Associated Press photos of the action from the Olympics Photo Wire
Note: HD Video Available upon request
Click here to read SFT’s press release.
Participant Biographies:
Bianca Bockman, 27, was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, and currently lives in Oakland, California. Bianca has been an activist since she was a teenager and has worked for animal and human rights and in the environmental movement. Bianca currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Social Ecology and on the Board of Directors of Students for a Free Tibet.
Kelly Osborne, 39, was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, where he currently lives with his wife Melissa and their four kids, Tanner, Ravyn, Dakota, and Raymond. Kelly works as a Youth Minister at Mayflower Congregational Church and as a team building and communications facilitator. Kelly is first and foremost a father, has worked as a nonviolent activist for over twelve years.
Phil Kirk, 24, was born in Basingstoke, UK and currently lives in Hertfordshire, UK. As an experienced rock climber and mountaineer, Phil learned about the injustices in Tibet through the climbing community. Last year Phil was horrified to learn that Tibetan refugees had been shot and killed by Chinese border authorities as they crossed Nangpala pass in an attempt to flee to Nepal. Mountaineers at Cho Oyu base camp on Mt. Everest captured the shootings on video. It was at that time when Phil decided to get involved with the Tibetan Freedom movement and realized he could use his climbing skills in his effort to support the Tibetan people.
Nicole Rycroft, 41, was born and raise in Sydney, Australia, and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was a state and national level athlete (lightweight rower) in Australia during the early 90’s on track for the Olympics. She cycled into Tibet from Nepal in 1995, and witnessed the suppression of Tibetan culture and religion as a result of China’s occupation of Tibet. As a former athlete Nicole has always looked to the Olympics as an arena for the pursuit of excellence and the Games of peace. However China’s continued violation of Tibetans’ human rights under its forced occupation of Tibet undermines the integrity of the Olympic quest to bring countries and people together in peace.
Sam Maron, 22, from Ossining, New York, USA, studied at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont and graduated in 2008 with a degree in Community and International Development. He currently lives in New York and works as an intern at the headquarters of Students for a Free Tibet. Sam’s interest in Tibet was sparked when he attended a public talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York City. Sam started a chapter of SFT at UVM and traveled to Tibet, Nepal and India as part of the SIT Tibetan Studies Program.
