Tibetan Activists Stage Running Protest to UN in Monthly NYC Campaign
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSHALA 11 Aug: Forty Tibetan activists ran from Jackson Heights to the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan on Sunday, covering 10-12 kilometres in the latest “Run for Tibet – Run to End CCP” campaign to protest Chinese occupation of their homeland.
Organised by the New York and New Jersey Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC NYNJ), the campaign is a monthly initiative to commemorate the anniversary of the 10th March Tibetan Uprising against the Chinese invasion in 1959. The campaign held on the 10th of every month also honours the resistance and raises awareness about the continued oppression in Tibet under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to the RTYC’s official Facebook page, this was the 12th event in a series of such campaigns. The run began at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights and concluded in front of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, covering 10-12 kilometres.
Around 40 Tibetan activists gathered for a brief opening ceremony at approximately 8.30 am. Among the attendees was Tsering Dhundup, an octogenarian Tibetan activist well-known in the community for his weekly solo protests in Jackson Heights, which take place every Wednesday. He was invited as the chief guest and officially inaugurated the campaign.
The runners advocated for Tibetan human rights in occupied Tibet throughout their route, culminating in a collective protest in front of the United Nations Headquarters around 2 pm. They concluded the campaign by loudly proclaiming slogans such as “Tibet belongs to Tibetans,” “China out of Tibet,” and singing the Tibetan National Anthem.
The Tibetan running campaign also received support from local Tibet and community groups, including the chairman of Local Do-Kham Chushi Gangdruk, the Vice-President of the local Tibetan Women’s Association, and the Chairman of the Ngari Community Association.
The TYC is one of the largest grassroots Tibetan organisations advocating for full independence from China’s colonial rule. Meanwhile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has adopted the Middle Way Policy, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within the existing political framework of China.
