Today, on 1 October, the Chinese Communist Party celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, for Tibetans, today is nothing to celebrate. For us, a coalition of more than 145 Tibet organisations from around the world, today is a day to stand together in our opposition to the CCP, its occupation of Tibet, its systematic eradication of Tibet’s identity and way of life and its violence against the Tibetan people. So long as we have voices to speak, we w

Speaker: Giovanni Vassallo, President of the Bay Area Friends of Tibet & Co-founder of the Bay Area Chinese and Tibetan Friendship Group Good evening, dear Chinese brothers and sisters! My name is Giovanni Vassallo. I am honored to stand before you today as one of the founding members of the Bay Area Friends of Tibet, and as a co-founder of the Bay Area Chinese and Tibetan Friendship Group, which first began meeting back in 2009. Thank you so much for having me here today. I

Pelosi Remarks at 'Unite for Tibet' National Uprising Day Rally

March 8, 2014 Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616 Pelosi Statement on the Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to mark the 55th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day – the date of Tibetans’ peaceful uprising and the ensuing crackdown by Chinese authorities that devastated the Tibetan people and forced His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile: “On this anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, we ho

By Giovanni Vassallo The 2008 Beijing Olympics offered a rare opportunity for Tibetans and human rights activists to shine a spotlight on the Chinese government's illegal, unjust occupation of Tibet that has lasted over 50 years. San Francisco (SF) was the sole United States stop on the Beijing Olympic torch relay, with the flame set to pass through on April 9, 2008. This gave San Francisco Team Tibet (SF Team Tibet), a coalition of five California-based Tibetan organizations