Tibet Vigil for International Human Rights Day December 2001 Tibet Vigil for International Human Rights Day - December 2001 Simple Gestures. Bold Statements. Simple gestures can make the boldest statements.. And it's amazing what you can do with a couple of balloons, a Tibetan flag and several metres of kite twine. That was certainly true of the Tibet Vigil for International Human Rights Day held outside the Chinese Embassy in London last week. Some 70 people gathered outside RIBA on a chill Monday evening, accompanied by a heavier than usual police cordon. Candles lit the pavement and leaflets were enthusiastically and liberally passed to motorists waiting on red at the adjacent traffic lights. Throughout the Vigil, a sequenced procession of emissaries from our protesting group crossed Portland Place - Tibetan flags waving - to place flowers outside the front door of the embassy. All accompanied by rousing "Free Tibet" chants and a roll call of just some of the thousands of Tibetans who have suffered at the hands of the genocidal Chinese. But it was the simple act of the Tibetan flag being flown aloft the embassy itself that provided the Chinese the greatest embarrassment and, for us protesters, the high point of the night. With the help of two helium balloons, a Tibetan flag was flown high into the dark sky and then guided skilfully on winter winds across to the radio mast that sits atop the embassy roof. With the kite twine cut once it had become ensnared in the antennae, the symbol of a free, independent Tibet flew proudly over the very roof of that great nation's oppressor. The irony was enjoyed by all. A small victory. A big point. Thanks to all who attended and made it happen. Report by saltydog