Ms Claudia Roth addressing the 56th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day in Dharamsala
Photo: DIIR/Jamyang Tsering
“My message to the international community is: don’t forget the Tibetans. To forget the victims is to kill them second time.” With this quotation from Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, German politician Claudia Roth delivered to the Tibetan people a strong message of solidarity. Ms Roth, Vice President of the Bundestag (the German parliament) and a tireless human rights activist, was invited to India by Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in exile, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay. She addressed the crowds at the Main Temple in McLeod Ganj on March 10 to mark 56th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising.
Ms Roth gave thanks to her “dear Tibetan family” for their courage, strength and “endless patience” in the non-violent struggle against Chinese occupation. She repeatedly called for the release of all Tibetan political prisoners and emphasised that China, having now emerged as an economic power, must also demonstrate maturity and cultural leadership if it is to be truly accepted on the world stage. For this reason, Ms Roth insisted, it is in China’s own interest to accept the Middle-Way Approach originally proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Otherwise, she said, “how is the international community meant to support [them] when they have repressed human rights to such an extent?”
A former Chairperson of the German Green Party, Ms Roth also stressed the serious environmental concerns that exist around Chinese mining, damming and reservoir-building projects in Tibet.
Echoing the sentiments of the Europeans in the audience, Ms Roth ended her speech by assuring the Tibetan people that Europe stands in solidarity with them, and mentioning the parallel rallies being led to Chinese embassies across the region.
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