Just four days after the Beijing Olympic torch passed through the city of San Francisco, with utmost protest and disapproval by thousands of protesters; Tibet Independence Torch was received here in the city in the opposite manner. On Sunday, April 13th, 2008, the torch was celebrated upon its arrival in this beautiful city. San Francisco is the first North American stop of the relay route, and the torch will travel next to Portland, Oregon.
Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, San Francisco and members of the local Tibetan community gathered at the Berkeley Marina for the opening ceremony. The program started off with the singing of the Tibetan National Anthem during which the Tibetan flags were proudly displayed by those in attendance. In his speech, Tenzin Dasang, President of RTYC emphasized “the need for TYC to continue the struggle for freedom through different approaches in order to achieve a unified goal. Thus, the Tibet Independence Torch Relay is crucial because it is a reaffirmation of our support for the Tibetans inside Tibet who have longed for Independence for nearly 60 years”. The ceremony ended with a Sangsol after which the torch was passed around among the audience; the public also had a chance to take photos with the torch.
After the ceremony in Berkeley, the Tibet Independence Torch relay then followed the route to the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most significant American landmarks. There the torch was received well by non-Tibetans who were at the location for sightseeing.
In a statement by TYC Centrex; it was pronounced that “This torch represents the promise of Tibetan Youth Congress to continue to struggle to regain our Independence from China and to show our solidarity with our brothers and sisters inside Tibet who are brutally suppressed and denied basic fundamental rights and echo their call for Independence”.
