Today, the Assembly of Citizens held a peaceful solidarity action in front of Park Lane Mall in Halifax to mark the 75th anniversary of China’s invasion of Tibet and to raise awareness about Tara Zhang — a young Chinese student studying in France who was recently arrested while visiting her family in China for speaking out on Tibetan human rights.
Throughout the event, we engaged in meaningful conversations with many passersby. It was inspiring to see that many people in Halifax already understand the situation in Tibet and are eager to learn more. Among them were several young faces, students and locals who showed genuine curiosity and compassion. Our Halifax regional coordinator Ashlynn Peng also took this opportunity to share information about the ongoing cultural genocide being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet. Their schools that teach in Tibetan are facing forced and permanent shutdown. An entire generation of Tibetan children, some as young as toddlers, are being forcibly sent to state-run boarding schools, where they are separated from their parents. They are taught exclusively in Mandarin and subjected to heavy political indoctrination, causing them to lose their language, culture, and ability to communicate with their families.
Many participants thanked us for sharing this information and expressed hope that more people would step forward to raise awareness in similar ways. Their encouragement continues to strengthen our resolve.