Tibet Support Group Germany/Tibet Initiative Deutschland e.V.
Press release on the occasion of the 49th Anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising, 10th March 2008,
▪ Germany hoists the flag for Tibet
▪ 921 mayors display their solidarity with Tibet
▪ Number of participants as of 6th March 2008 – 921 town halls
921 cities, municipalities and counties in Germany – almost 145 more than in 2007 – will hoist the Tibetan flag on 10th March at town halls and official buildings, including the regional capitals Hanover, Magdeburg, Mainz, Potsdam, Saarbruecken, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. By doing so, hundreds of democratically elected heads of cities, municipalities and counties, who represent thousands of citizens, affirm the legitimate right of the Tibetan people to self-determination and protest against the violations of human rights and the destruction of the Tibetan people’s culture, religion and national identity. They were called upon to hoist the flag by the Tibet Support Group Germany for the thirteenth consecutive year.
The growing encouragement which we receive every year from cities and municipalities is a proof that the problem of Tibet is regarded more than ever as an unsolved issue which urgently needs a solution and cannot just be covered by a veil of silence. This fact was also stressed by the official reception of the Dalai Lama by the federal chancellor Merkel last year, which China had tried in vain to prevent by bullying and threatening. “Unity, justice and freedom”* are “the foundation of happiness”* (*ref. to German National Anthem) not only for us Germans, said Monika Deimann, the coordinator of the campaign, “also the Tibetan people long for a self-determined life in freedom and dignity – and they are entitled to it!
Remembering their own recent past, Germans may have a special understanding of the plight of the Tibetan people and their aspirations.
The government in Beijing will only gain respect internationally (saving its face), if it finally accepts this and enters into substantial negotiations with the Tibetan side about the future of Tibet. Patience, especially among younger Tibetans, will not last forever. The Dalai Lama is the only guarantee for a peaceful solution.”
The abundantly clear signal set by 921 mayors, heads of municipalities and counties, is a token of encouragement and hope for Tibetans in Tibet and in exile and not least a call to the Federal Government not to desist from its value-orientated foreign policy. The marked rise in participants at the flagging campaign this year is in line with survey results in 2007, when 65 percent of the inhabitants of Germany appreciated the grand gesture by the Chancellor, 67 percent were in favour of exercising more pressure on China and 68 percent demanded that more attention be given to human rights in politics.
Tibet Support Group Germany’s flag campaign is not a matter of human rights violations or of foreign policy – it is a question of justice and injustice. It is an injustice that the Tibetan people have had to endure up to the present day. And this matter does not halt at a communal, regional or national level. We welcome the fact that an ever growing number of mayors and heads of cities, municipalities and counties share our conviction.
Tibet Support Group Germany would like to thank the participants in the various cities, municipalities and counties for their solidarity and their commitment to global responsibility.
The current list of participants, messages of support from members of the German Bundestag and members of the European Parliament as well as background information about 10th March and the flagging campaign, can be viewed on www.tibetflagge.net. A Tibet flag may be ordered as a gif-document.
Participants 2008: Baden-Württemberg 157, Bayern 142, Brandenburg 26, Bremen 9, Hessen 132, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 21, Niedersachen 100, Nordrhein-Westfalen 112, Rheinland-Pfalz 34, Saarland 33, Sachsen 76, Sachsen-Anhalt 50, Schleswig-Holstein 19, Thüringen 10
Contact:
Monika DEIMANN-CLEMENS
Flag Campaign Coordinator
Phone +49 – 6047 – 7816, Mobile +49 – 174 – 789 6336
or,
Wolfgang GRADER
Chairman of Tibet Support Group Germany
Mobile 0173 3708350
