March 10 Protest

Portland RTYC wraps up two days of protests.

see protest pictures

The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) of Portland/Vancouver organized a local protest on Sunday, March 9 as part of its two-day protests. Over 150 community members and Tibet supporters congregated at the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation. Holding Tibetan flags and banners, the protest march was led by the younger generation.


Downtown Portland


Video of the protest


On March 10, taking the protest to the doorstep of the Chinese Consulate, 43 members of the Portland area community made a 7hr bus trip to Vancouver B.C, Canada. Initially, there were concerns regarding the documents needed to make this cross-border trip into Canada. However, those were resolved by consulting the respective departments of both countries. The protest in Vancouver B.C. was jointly organized with the Tibetan Association of Vancouver B.C. and the regional chapter of the Students for a Free Tibet (SFT). After marching through the streets of downtown Vancouver, the 150 protesters were at the gates of the Chinese consulate.

Shouting for a free Tibet and demanding the immediate release of political prisoners, the protesters staged a "die-in." The protesters all fell to the ground depicting the killing of thousands of Tibetans by the Chinese over the last half-century. After hours of protesting and a heart-felt inspirational speech by a Tibetan high-school junior, the protesters made their way back home leaving behind the chalked remains of the "die-in."