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VANCOUVER — About 300 people crowded outside the Chinese Consulate on Saturday to protest the ongoing violence in Tibet.
Many of them waved the Tibetan flag, and adorned their faces with its colours of blue, red and yellow. People came from as far away as Portland, Ore., to demonstrate.
The demonstrators began their march outside the city's art gallery and then clogged the Granville Street bridge, which is a major artery to the downtown core.
Beijing sent thousands of troops to Tibet to quell widespread demonstrations against Chinese rule that began March 10. The situation has sparked protests worldwide with many demonstrators calling for a boycott of China and the Beijing Olympics.
Mati Bernabei, with the Canada Tibet Committee and one of the Vancouver event's organizers, said the fact that the Chinese flag at the consulate was down was “an extreme act of cowardice.”
“They're pretending they're not home,” she said. “Even more than them not responding to our calls for dialogue they're actively [verbally] abusing our community and Tibetan activists for even asking for dialogue.”
Ms. Bernabei said that by keeping China in the spotlight, changes can be made.
“My hope is that this type of action that's happening globally will force the Chinese government to rethink and come at this in a different way and ideally participate with the global community.”
Wuangchuk Durjee came to the protest from Vancouver, Wash. He said fled his home country of Tibet in 1959 but still has family there.
“I haven't heard from them at all, everything is cut off,” he said.
A representative from the Chinese consulate could not be reached.
