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But unfortunately this campaign to ‘Free Tibet’ has become nothing more than a bloated, misguided, uninformed, media-hungry circus, which risks not only damaging diplomatic relations with China but also the future of the Olympics and, worryingly, the safety of the Tibetan people themselves.
Let me clarify right away that I believe any abuse of human rights should never be condoned and any abuses should be always be opposed. However, what I also believe is that there are several problems with the western attitudes towards China and the 'Free Tibet' campaign especially.
It seems hard to believe that it was only on the 10th March that Tibetan monks first held rallies in the city of Lhasa. Some monks were arrested and the protests escalated and spread to other cities. Reports came in that peaceful protests were being forcefully broken up by the Chinese military in an attempt to crack down on calls for independence.
And yet the romantic image of the peaceful protestor in red robes has dominated thanks to the western media and largely western-led campaigns. It is not simply a case of good versus evil.
Many people seemed to compare this to protests witnessed in America during the Civil Rights Era or in British India in the time of Ghandi. And here is my first objection. What seems to have been lost is that the protests started by the Buddhist monks quickly became violent as local students became involved.
Chinese people were attacked and shops were burned down. If protests escalated to that extent in this country, most would accept there to be a swift and cohesive crackdown. And yet the romantic image of the peaceful protestor in red robes has dominated thanks to the western media and largely western-led campaigns. It is not simply a case of good versus evil.
My second objection is an objection to double standards. Everyone is guilty of having double standards – it’s a fact of life – but on this scale it really is inexcusable. The focus of the campaign seems to be the abuse of human rights and a suppression of political freedom. If anti-China protestors are concerned so passionately about the upholding of human rights (someone I commend) then why do they not care about, the rampaging militias in Congo, the desperate situation in Darfur or the stalled elections in Zimbabwe? Last year, protesting monks in Burma managed to attract some attention but they soon fell off our moral radars despite the fact that they are still are being repressed to this day.
And why is there not the same kind of pressure on the American government to close Guantanamo Bay, probably the most blatant, arrogant and disgraceful abuse of human rights in living memory?
A large portion of responsibility has to fall on the media. They shamelessly dictate to the public the story that they want to be seen and then drop it if they sense public attention is waning. The development of the Tibetan story over the Easter has demonstrated the terrifying control the media have over us and our morality. I believe that if you really care about human rights then you should seek out abuses and campaign tirelessly until there is action, and not be the capricious, absent-minded puppet campaigners that I loath.
In addition to their fickleness, it seems that many protestors have got confused as to what Tibet actually wants. The catchy slogan ‘Free Tibet’ has meant that many people think Tibet wants full independence from China. This is not the case as the Dali Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has said on many occasions. All he is asking for is increased autonomy. Indeed, he insists he has no political role and played no part in the protests.
The ‘Free Tibet’ slogan also gives the false impression that partitioning Tibet from China can only have a positive income. It only takes a quick look at the disastrous partitions in Ireland, Palestine, India, Korea and the Balkans to demonstrate how foolish that way of thinking is.
The scenes in London, Paris and San Francisco of protestors willingly disrupting the torch relay also had me confused. Why, I thought, are protestors attacking the Olympics? The Olympics represent the world, not China, and they should be used as a tool to put pressure on China and should not be tarnished by the baddie-brush which some protestors are so liberal with. There is a real chance for real change to occur in China but I feel some ‘Free Tibet’ campaigners are literally extinguishing this flame of opportunity.
Political issues are never black and white and Tibet is no different.
The attention Tibet has received over the last few months has come at the expense of accurate reporting by the media and a coherent campaign of protest. If this rickety bandwagon is to continue on this treacherous road, then the damage may soon become irrevocable.
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