Lausanne, May 9 – As the Olympic torch summited Mt. Everest, Tibetans protested this mere demonstration of power on the part of the Chinese government and against the accomplice-like behavior of the International Olympic Committee by blocking the IOC’s Headquarters entrance. The protest took place after the IOC decided to ignore the worldwide protests and carry out the relay to the pinnacle of Mt. Everest.
Activists of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe blocked the front entrance of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne by lying in a ‘red sea of blood’ holding a Tibetan Flag. This was intended as a reminder to Mr. Rogge and the IOC of the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in Tibet and the 200 plus countrymen who were killed since March 10, 2008. They also wanted to express their anger towards the Olympic torch relay through Tibet which will only result in intensified repression and increased number of victims.
Tenzin Tsedoen, Spokesperson of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe said,” Tibetans all over the world urge the IOC to immediately bring this tragic farce to an end and cancel the planned route through further Tibetan areas – in terms of the Olympic spirit, in terms of the Olympic ceasefire”.
The Chinese authorities viewed the ascent of the holy mountain as a highlight of the torch relay. Facing the dramatic situation in Tibet the inclusion of Mt. Everest into the Olympic
torch relay route is to be understood as a humiliation of the Tibetan people and an obscene attempt to legitimate Chinese rule over Tibet.
