 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
| From Nova magazines feature I Believe, |
|
.."in a free Tibet Samantha Arbuckle (left) is 24 years old and has been attending the Tibet Vigil for two years For two hours every Wednesday evening, campaigners stand on the pavement across the road from the Chinese embassy in London to show their contempt for the oppression of Tibet by China. The vigil, which has been ongoing for 11 years, protests against human rights abuses, including the death penalty, imprisonment, torture and what it calls 'the systematic rape of Tibet' Arbuckle, a sociology graduate, enjoys the routine of the protest; she turns up with the Tibetan flag and chants for freedom She is unsure whether she will vote in the general election 'I don't feel inspired by any of the parties, however cliched that sounds,' she says 'I go to the demonstrations every week, unless I'm ill The protest is really low-key There's no committee. There's no bureaucracy. There's no taking part in meetings. We just take our banners and stand there for two hours - sometimes we shout and sometimes we don't. It can make people quite angry. They come up and say: "They can't even hear you, what's the point of you standing there?" But for me, it is important to be able to stand there and say: "I believe what you are doing is wrong.'' Tibet was invaded by China in 1950 and because of the Tibetan culture and Buddhist beliefs, they did not have a strong army and were unable to resist. Everything that is happening there is against the will of the people and against a nonviolent, peaceful culture. I don't think people use their rights any more They don't get involved in political struggle or try to help their communities it's important for me to resist that kind of apathy. At the end of the day, I want to be able to say that I used my voice ' 'I don't think people use their rights any more. They don't get involved in political struggle or try to help their communities' |
| return to What the Papers say |